Indirect bipolar electrodeposition of polymers for the controlled design of zinc microswimmers

[Display omitted] •New mechanism for electrophoretic paint deposition.•Straightforward wireless electrochemical synthesis of zinc/polymer hybrid objects.•Asymmetric polymer modified zinc dendrites show directed motion. Self-propelled micro/nanoswimmers performing directional motion are of great potential nowadays in the frame of nanotechnology. The general methods for breaking the symmetry in such systems, which is the essential condition for inducing motion, are template-based, leading to asymmetric objects. In the present work, a new concept using the principles of indirect bipolar electrochemistry is proposed for the design of asymmetric metal/polymer objects. Zinc has been selected as a metal as it allows the subsequent generation of hydrogen gas bubbles when exposed to acidic aqueous solutions. The asymmetric deposition of a polymer shell on the metal leads to propulsion of the particles in a controlled direction.