Mighty nano-beads lift loads with light

摘要

Ant-like beads of haematite could be the giants of nanoscale construction. Tiny particles of the iron mineral have been made to pick up and carry cargo more than 10 times their size. The feat could be used in targeted drug delivery or building artificial muscles. Iron-based nanoparticles are ideal cargo-carriers because they can be steered using magnetic fields or by following a thinly etched track. Previous versions relied on chemical glues to pick up stuff, but getting them to drop it has proved difficult.