Reconfigurable self-assembly of photocatalytic magnetic microrobots for water purification

Publication date: 1 Nov 2023

JournalSource: LEGACY
Authors: Martina Ussia

The development of artificial small-scale robotic swarms with nature-mimicking collective behaviors represents the frontier of research in robotics. While microrobot swarming under magnetic manipulation has been extensively explored, light-induced self-organization of micro- and nanorobots is still challenging. This study demonstrates the interaction-controlled, reconfigurable, reversible, and active self-assembly of TiO2/α-Fe2O3 microrobots, consisting of peanut-shaped α-Fe2O3 (hematite) microparticles synthesized by a hydrothermal method and covered with a thin layer of TiO2 by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Due to their photocatalytic and ferromagnetic properties, microrobots autonomously move in water under light irradiation, while a magnetic field precisely controls their direction. In the presence of H2O2 fuel, concentration gradients around the illuminated microrobots result in mutual attraction by phoretic …

Publisher
Nature Publishing Group UK
Origin
Nature communications
Legacy ID
ff42012c0ab37c36649e67237f94535f
Biblio references
Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Pages: 6969