Volume 9, Issue 4 2401558
Research Article

Bacteria Flagella-Mimicking Polymer Multilayer Magnetic Microrobots

Liang Lu

Liang Lu

The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001 China

School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150006 China

State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150006 China

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Shuang Bai

Shuang Bai

The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001 China

School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150006 China

State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150006 China

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Jiaqi Shi

Jiaqi Shi

Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081 China

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Hutao Zhang

Hutao Zhang

The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001 China

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Gang Hou

Corresponding Author

Gang Hou

National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029 China

E-mail: [email protected][email protected]; [email protected]

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Wei Wang

Wei Wang

College of Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130 China

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Shoubin Sun

Shoubin Sun

The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001 China

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Tianyun Huang

Tianyun Huang

State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150006 China

Department of Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics, College of Engineering, and State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Peking University, Beijing, 100091 China

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Yuxin Jia

Yuxin Jia

Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ UK

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Alexander Granovsky

Alexander Granovsky

Magnetism Department, Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia

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Perov Nikolai

Perov Nikolai

Magnetism Department, Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia

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Zhiguang Wu

Corresponding Author

Zhiguang Wu

The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001 China

School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150006 China

State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150006 China

E-mail: [email protected][email protected]; [email protected]

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Hui Xie

Hui Xie

State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150006 China

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He Wu

Corresponding Author

He Wu

The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001 China

E-mail: [email protected][email protected]; [email protected]

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First published: 21 January 2025

Abstract

Mass production of biomedical microrobots demands expensive and complex preparation techniques and versatile biocompatible materials. Learning from natural bacteria flagella, the study demonstrates a magnetic polymer multilayer cylindrical microrobot that bestows the controllable propulsion upon an external rotating magnetic field with uniform intensity. The magnetic microrobots are constructed by template-assisted layer-by-layer technique and subsequent functionalization of magnetic particles onto the large opening of the microrobots. Geometric variables of the polymer microrobots, such as the diameter and wall thickness, can be controlled by selection of porous template and layers of assembly. The microrobots perform controllable propulsion through the manipulation of magnetic field. The comparative analysis of the movement behavior reveals that the deformation of microrobots may be attributed to the propulsion upon rotating magnetic field, which is similar to that of natural bacteria. The influence of actuation and frequency on the velocity of the microrobots is studied. Such polymer multilayer magnetic microrobots may provide a novel concept to develop rapidly delivering drug therapeutic agents for diverse practical biomedical uses.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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