学术成果 | 科研人员研发出极微型“马达”及指挥它们的“交警”
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近期，科研人员研发出了可能是世界上迄今为止最微型的“马达”，其大小还远不足人类的一根头发丝的宽度，它们可以随着精心设计的“交通导向系统”移动。科学家们希望将此研究成果在未来的某一天应用于医疗领域，实现有效的药物定点输运和释放。
图中黑色和金色的连体圆柱由铂金和黄金组成，这些纳米“小车”一旦浸没在一种化学稀释溶液中，就能够开始活动了。如若不加任何约束，它们会向周围自由地扩散。为控制它们的移动方向，科研团队创造了泪滴型的微型立柱来充当管控这些小马达的“交警”。
“由于流体力学效应，纳米‘马达’会被立柱的边缘吸引，但也很容易在泪滴型立柱的尖端脱离。”张骏教授解释，“因此，如果设计合理，这些纳米‘马达’就可以被引导至指定的方向和位置。”
张骏教授是该项研究的领衔科学家，现任职于纽约大学柯朗数学研究所与上海纽约大学。他同时也是华东师范大学-纽约大学物理联合研究中心及数学联合研究中心（上海纽约大学）的成员。
这项研究的团队成员还包括纽约大学柯朗数学研究所前博士后Megan Davies Wykes、纽约大学柯朗数学研究所Leif Ristroph教授和Michael Shelley教授，以及纽约大学化学系Michael Ward教授。英国皇家化学学会旗下的期刊Soft Matter以封面论文的形式刊发了该项研究成果。
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Researchers Play Traffic Cop
with the Tiniest of Motors
A team of scientists has created a system of tiny motors less than the width of a human hair that can be maneuvered through well-designed traffic signs placed in the environment where the motors move about. The work, which appeared in the journal Soft Matter, aims to find ways to effectively deliver pharmaceuticals carried by these tiny motors to desired spots during medical treatments.
In the above, the black and gold cylinders—composed of platinum and gold—become energized and move as nano-motors once submerged in a solution. Left unchecked, these motors travel in a random fashion. To control their movement, the research team created teardrop-shaped structures (white islands) that serve as hydrodynamic traffic cops.
“The nano-motors are attracted to the posts’ perimeters due to a hydrodynamic force, but become easily detached from the sharp tip of the teardrops,” explains Professor Jun Zhang, who holds appointments at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the Department of Physics, and NYU Shanghai. “As a result, the nano-motors can be directed or guided to desired directions and locations.”
The research team also included Megan Davies Wykes, a former post-doctoral fellow at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, as well as Courant Professors Leif Ristroph and Michael Shelley and Chemistry Professor Michael Ward.
The article is written by James Devitt.
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