Motion-based chemical sensing using microscale particles has attracted considerable recent attention. In this paper, we report on new experiments and Brownian dynamics simulations that cast light on the dynamics of both passive and active microrods (gold wires and gold-platinum micromotors) in a silver ion gradient. We demonstrate that such microrods can be used for threat detection in the form...

Few foam systems stabilized by solid particles have been reported, and usually the particles have been used in combination with surfactants. We report how foams can be stabilized solely with a new class of anisotropic particles, hydrophobic polymer microrods of diameter less than 1 mum and length of a few tens of micrometers. The obtained foams were extraordinary stable, retaining a constant vo...

Local release of drugs may have many advantages for tissue repair but also presents major challenges. Bioengineering approaches allow microstructures to be fabricated that contain bioactive peptides for sustained local delivery. Heart tissue damage is associated with local increases in mechano growth factor (MGF), a member of the IGF-1 family. The E domain of MGF peptide is anti-apoptotic and a...

A novel method that enables single-crystal diffraction data to be obtained from a powder sample is presented. A suspension of LiCoPO(4) microrods was subjected to a frequency-modulated dynamic elliptical magnetic field to align the microrods; the alignment achieved was consolidated by photopolymerization of the suspending UV-curable monomer. The composite thus obtained (referred to as a pseudo ...

Functional nanomaterials with three-dimensional hierarchical structures are of high interest for many practical applications including lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this work, self-organized sheaf-like Fe3O4/C microrods constructed by porous nanowires have been synthesized by a facile solvothermal method combined with a subsequent annealing treatment. The morphology of the building blocks co...