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Title: Cooperative transport by flocking phototactic micromotors

Journal Article · · Nanoscale Advances
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d1na00641j · OSTI ID:1821933

Cargo delivery by micro/nanomotors provides enormous opportunities for micromanipulation, environmental cleaning, drug delivery, etc. However, due to the limited driving force, it is usually difficult for single micro/nanomotors to transport cargoes much larger or heavier than themselves. Here, we demonstrate that flocking phototactic TiO2 micromotors can cooperatively transport multiple and different types of large cargoes based on light-responsive diffusiophoresis. Utilizing spontaneous diffusiophoretic attraction, flocking TiO2 micromotors can load large cargoes. Under UV light navigation, flocking TiO2 micromotors cooperatively carry and transport cargoes via collective diffusiophoretic repulsion in open space or complex microenvironments. After reaching the destination, the carried cargoes can also be unloaded from the flock and be deployed at a predetermined destination by disassembling or reversing the flock. This study may pave the way for developing intelligent swarming micro/nanorobots for cooperative targeting micromanipulation and advancing their applications in drug delivery and microengineering.

Research Organization:
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province; USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0020964; 21875175; 52073222; 51521001; 2019CFA048; DOE-DE-SC0020964
OSTI ID:
1821933
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1904279
Journal Information:
Nanoscale Advances, Vol. 3, Issue 21; ISSN 2516-0230
Publisher:
Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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