Radboud University, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Nat Chem. 2017 May;9(5):480-486. doi: 10.1038/nchem.2674. Epub 2016 Dec 12.
Self-propelled catalytic micro- and nanomotors have been the subject of intense study over the past few years, but it remains a continuing challenge to build in an effective speed-regulation mechanism. Movement of these motors is generally fully dependent on the concentration of accessible fuel, with propulsive movement only ceasing when the fuel consumption is complete. Here we report a demonstration of control over the movement of self-assembled stomatocyte nanomotors via a molecularly built, stimulus-responsive regulatory mechanism. A temperature-sensitive polymer brush is chemically grown onto the nanomotor, whereby the opening of the stomatocytes is enlarged or narrowed on temperature change, which thus controls the access of hydrogen peroxide fuel and, in turn, regulates movement. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first nanosized chemically driven motor for which motion can be reversibly controlled by a thermally responsive valve/brake. We envision that such artificial responsive nanosystems could have potential applications in controllable cargo transportation.
自推进的催化微纳米马达在过去几年中一直是研究的热点，但构建有效的速度调节机制仍然是一个持续的挑战。这些马达的运动通常完全依赖于可接近燃料的浓度，只有当燃料消耗完全时，推进运动才会停止。在这里，我们通过分子构建的、对刺激有响应的调节机制，展示了对自组装的菱形纳米马达运动的控制。一种温度敏感的聚合物刷被化学地生长在纳米马达上，因此菱形孔的开口在温度变化时会扩大或缩小，从而控制过氧化氢燃料的进入，进而调节运动。据我们所知，这是第一个可以通过热响应阀/制动器来实现运动可逆控制的纳米级化学驱动马达。我们设想，这种人工响应纳米系统在可控货物运输方面可能具有潜在的应用。
