The smallest man-made jet engine

The design of catalytic engines powered by chemical fuels is an exciting and emerging field in multidisciplinary scientific communities. Recent progress in nanotechnology has enabled scientists to shrink the size of macroengines down to microscopic, but yet powerful, engines. Since a couple of years ago, we have reported our progress towards the control and application of catalytic microtubular engines powered by the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide fuel which produces a thrust of oxygen bubbles. Efforts were undertaken in our group to prove whether the fabrication of nanoscale jets is possible. Indeed, the smallest jet engine (600 nm in diameter and 1 picogram of weight) was synthesized based on heteroepitaxially grown layers. These nanojets are able to self-propel in hydrogen peroxide solutions and are promising for the realisation of multiple tasks.