Volume 57, Issue 23 pp. 6838-6842
Communication

Noncontinuous Super-Diffusive Dynamics of a Light-Activated Nanobottle Motor

Dr. Mingjun Xuan

Dr. Mingjun Xuan

Key Lab of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing (Ministry of Education), Micro/Nanotechnology Research Centre, Academy of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, Yikuangjie 2, Harbin, 150080 China

Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10–12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Rafael Mestre

Rafael Mestre

Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10–12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstraße 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Dr. Changyong Gao

Dr. Changyong Gao

Key Lab of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing (Ministry of Education), Micro/Nanotechnology Research Centre, Academy of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, Yikuangjie 2, Harbin, 150080 China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Chang Zhou

Chang Zhou

Key Lab of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing (Ministry of Education), Micro/Nanotechnology Research Centre, Academy of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, Yikuangjie 2, Harbin, 150080 China

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Prof. Qiang He

Corresponding Author

Prof. Qiang He

Key Lab of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing (Ministry of Education), Micro/Nanotechnology Research Centre, Academy of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, Yikuangjie 2, Harbin, 150080 China

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Prof. Samuel Sánchez

Corresponding Author

Prof. Samuel Sánchez

Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10–12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstraße 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany

Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats (ICREA), Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain

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First published: 03 April 2018
Citations: 106

Graphical Abstract

Bottle rockets: A carbonaceous nanobottle (CNB) motor was described for near infrared (NIR) light-driven jet propulsion. This NIR light-powered CNB motor exhibits fuel-free propulsion and control of the swimming velocity by external light and has great potential for future biomedical applications.

Abstract

We report a carbonaceous nanobottle (CNB) motor for near infrared (NIR) light-driven jet propulsion. The bottle structure of the CNB motor is fabricated by soft-template-based polymerization. Upon illumination with NIR light, the photothermal effect of the CNB motor carbon shell causes a rapid increase in the temperature of the water inside the nanobottle and thus the ejection of the heated fluid from the open neck, which propels the CNB motor. The occurrence of an explosion, the on/off motion, and the swing behavior of the CNB motor can be modulated by adjusting the NIR light source. Moreover, we simulated the physical field distribution (temperature, fluid velocity, and pressure) of the CNB motor to demonstrate the mechanism of NIR light-driven jet propulsion. This NIR light-powered CNB motor exhibits fuel-free propulsion and control of the swimming velocity by external light and has great potential for future biomedical applications.

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