Interfacial tension model for catalytically driven nanorods

We present an analysis of the interfacial tension model for the movement of the catalytically driven nanorod. The model considers the convective reaction-diffusion equation for the production and diffusion of oxygen around the bimetallic nanorod. We solve the equation and find the concentration difference, which drives the nanorod. We use our expression to calculate the force on the nanorod and find that the result is within 20% of the results found earlier [W. Paxton , J. Am. Chem. Soc. 128, 14881 (2006)] by an approximate method. Unlike the earlier results, our results are valid from short to long lengths of the nanorod. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.