UCSD Chemists Develop 'Smart Dust'

Published August 25, 2003, nonetheless, this is very interesting! The image shows smart dust particles surrounded by a drop of hydrophobic liquid in water.
"To create the smart dust, the researchers use chemicals to etch one side of a silicon chip, similar to the chips used in computers, generating a colored mirrored surface with tiny pores. They make this porous surface water repellent, or hydrophobic, by allowing a chemical that is hydrophobic to bind to it. They then etch the other side of the chip to create a porous reflective surface of a different color and expose the surface to air so that it becomes hydrophilic, or attractive to water.