Catalytically Propelled Micro- and Nanoswimmers

Abstract

The last decade has seen a surge of interest in the field of catalytically propelled micro- and nanoswimmers for their potential use in biomedical applications, such as biosensing, biopsy, targeted drug delivery, and on-the-fly chemistry. However, to fully utilize these devices, precise control over their motion is essential. Therefore, it is important to thoroughly understand their locomotion mechanisms. Herein, the currently accepted mechanisms for propulsion are discussed, which are self-electrophoresis, self-diffusiophoresis, and bubble recoil. Additionally, the concept of using multilocomotive mechanisms as a solution to achieve fully autonomous navigation is explored. Moreover, recent advances in the design of these devices are explored. One of the challenges in the field of catalytic micro- and nanoswimmers is their precise motion control. It has been established that self-electrophoresis, self-diffusiophoresis, and bubble recoil are motion mechanisms for catalytic micro- and nanoswimmers. Recently, the concept of a multilocomotive mechanism has gained significant attention as a potential solution to address this challenge and enable fully autonomous navigation.image & COPY; 2023 WILEY-VCH GmbH