Chemotactic Micro‐ and Nanodevices

Abstract

Preparation of autonomous chemotactic micro- and nanomachines represents one of the most difficult challenges of modern materials science. To construct a device mimicking the behavior of many microorganisms, which evolved their chemotactic abilities during the millennia of evolution, places extreme demands on the imagination and abilities of researchers. However, with the chemotactic devices in hand, many novel and interesting applications of micromachines could be implemented. The introduction of an autonomous navigation, independent of the external control with electric, magnetic, or electromagnetic field is crucial for applications in environmental remediation and might be advantageous in medical applications. This Minireview summarizes the development in the field of chemotactic micro- and nanomachines, describes the trends in their construction, and compares the different approaches to their construction considering the areas of possible application of the devices.

Chemo‐ and Magnetotaxis of Self‐Propelled Light‐Emitting Chemo‐electronic Swimmers

“…Chemotaxis is a well‐known biological phenomenon, exemplified by motion of microorganisms towards food sources (positive chemotaxis) or away from toxins (negative chemotaxis) . Chemotactic behavior of self‐propelled swimmers, sensitive to different chemical gradients (e.g., H 2 O 2 , pH and surfactants) has already been reported . Commonly, chemotaxis occurs when a self‐propelled swimmer has at least one active site that is sensitive to a chemical signal .…”

“…Self‐propulsion of swimmers, which transform different types of energy into mechanical motion, has gained considerable interest in recent years . These devices enable interesting applications in drug delivery, cargo‐lifting, sensing, environmental remediation, lab‐on‐a‐chip devices (e.g., pumps or mixers) and as models to mimic and understand the collective behavior of microorganisms . Recently, a significant number of nano, micro and macro‐swimmers powered by the decomposition of “fuels” (e.g.…”

Roads to Smart Artificial Microswimmers

“…[89] As a remark, the biohybrid approach, which exploits the locomotion and tactic behaviors of living cells, such as neutrophils, sperm cells, or bacteria, [97][98][99] could lead to more effective carriers for specific drug delivery or fertilization-related problems. [99][100][101] Nevertheless, purely artificial chemotactic machines offer alternative strategies in biomedical applications when there are concerns on specificity or pathogenicity of the biohybrid approach. Yet, concerns on the biocompatibility of artificial structures and toxicity in chemical-based strategies will also need to be addressed.…”

“…[105] In addition to their biomedical uses, purely artificial chemotactic machines find potential applications in environmental damage remedies, such as locating the source of pollution and decomposing the pollutants into harmless products. [101,106] 3.…”

Chemo‐ and Magnetotaxis of Self‐Propelled Light‐Emitting Chemo‐electronic Swimmers

“…Self‐propulsion of swimmers, which transform different types of energy into mechanical motion, has gained considerable interest in recent years . These devices enable interesting applications in drug delivery, cargo‐lifting, sensing, environmental remediation, lab‐on‐a‐chip devices (e.g., pumps or mixers) and as models to mimic and understand the collective behavior of microorganisms . Recently, a significant number of nano, micro and macro‐swimmers powered by the decomposition of “fuels” (e.g.…”