Summary
Published in Nature Communications (2024), this peer-reviewed study used 3D Petri Dish® micro-molds to form scaffold-free 3D microtissues. Full citation: Wang, Jianhong, et al. Ultrafast light-activated polymeric nanomotors
Ultrafast light-activated polymeric nanomotors
Research Overview
Synthetic micro- and nanomotors promise active transport for applications from environmental remediation to nanomedicine, but a fast-moving biodegradable polymeric nanomotor has been elusive. This study built one by attaching gold nanoparticles to biodegradable bowl-shaped polymersomes (stomatocytes) through electrostatic and hydrogen-bond interactions, creating light-propelled motors.
The biodegradable nanomotors showed controllable motion and velocities up to 125 µm per second. The behavior was explained through detailed 3D characterization — particularly the size and spatial distribution of the gold nanoparticles — by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography.
Key Discoveries
- Light-propelled nanomotors from gold nanoparticles on biodegradable stomatocyte polymersomes
- Velocities reached 125 µm/s with controllable motion
- Cryo-TEM and cryo-electron tomography mapped the gold nanoparticle distribution driving propulsion
