All aboard!

LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS

Researchers at Leiden University 3D-printed this boat that’s invisible to the naked eye. At 30 microns, the tiny vessel is close in size to a human skin cell.

The team studies ‘microswimmers’, which are biological or synthetic particles that move through fluids. They built microswimmers of various designs and observed their movements using an electron microscope, noting that spiral shapes made faster swimmers.

After 3D-printing the boat, a layer of platinum was applied. “It works as a catalyst and breaks down hydrogen peroxide or water [in the fluid it travels through] as a fuel to propel itself,” says researcher Dr Rachel Doherty.

Microswimmers could one day be used in diagnostics or drug delivery. “Understanding the influence of shape on motion will help in future applications,” says Doherty. “The idea is to create a vehicle to transport a drug to a targeted location in the body.”