Efficient bubble propulsion of polymer-based microengines in real-life environments.

Template-electrodeposited polymer/Pt microtube engines display efficient propulsion in a wide range of real-life samples ranging from seawater to human serum. Remarkably high speeds are observed in fuel-enhanced raw serum, apple juice, seawater, lake and river water samples. Our results indicate that polymer-based microengines hold considerable promise for diverse practical applications and that real samples exert different effects upon propulsion of different bubble-propelled microtube engines.