Chinese scientists have found new way for targeted drug delivery
What's the story
A team of scientists from China and the US has developed a novel way to launch tiny robots. The method uses the energy released by collapsing bubbles. This innovative system might be used for targeted drug delivery or exploring hard-to-reach spaces. The researchers detailed their work in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science.
Mechanism
How the technique works
The technique works by quickly heating light-absorbing materials with a laser. This causes water droplets on the surface around these materials to boil, leading to the formation of vapor bubbles. When these bubbles reach a certain size, they collapse suddenly, releasing energy and creating a strong force that can launch millimeter-scale jumpers up to 1.5 meters into the air.
Control
'Cavitation can serve as efficient launching mechanism'
By manipulating the light flow, scientists can control how and where these jumpers are launched from a wet surface. They can even make these small pieces of material swim in water. "Our study demonstrates that cavitation can serve as an efficient launching mechanism," the team said in their paper. Cavitation is the formation and subsequent collapse of vapor bubbles in low-pressure or high-temperature liquid regions.