Propulsion, deformation, and confinement response of hollow nanocellulose millimotors

TL;DR

This paper introduces low-density, permeable nanocellulose-based millimotors capable of propulsion, deformation, and fluid transport in confined environments, highlighting their advantages over dense solid micromotors.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the creation of large, low-density nanocellulose millimotors with reactive propulsion and deformation capabilities, enabling new applications in confined fluid environments.

Findings

Propulsion driven by oxygen bubble expulsion or buoyancy depending on surface chemistry.

Millimotors can deform and pass through constrictions that block solid motors.

They can transport significant fluid volumes with minimal solid support.

Abstract

Micromotor and nanomotor particles are typically made using dense solid particles that can sediment or be trapped in confined flow environments. Creation of much larger motors should be possible if a very low-density system is used with sufficient strength to carry liquid and still experience propulsive motion. Light, dense millimotors should also be able to deform more than dense solid ones in constrictions. Millimotors are created from permeable capsules of bacterial cellulose that are coated with catalase-containing metal-organic frameworks, enabling reactive propulsion in aqueous hydrogen peroxide. The motion of the motors is quantified using particle tracking and the deformation is measured using microcapillary compression and flow through confined channels. Two different propulsion mechanisms are dominant depending on the motor surface chemistry: oxygen bubbles are expelled from hydrophilic millimotors, driving motion via reaction force and buoyancy. Hydrophobic millimotors remain attached to growing bubbles and move by buoyancy alone. Despite their large size, the low-density capsules compress to pass through contractions that would impede and be blocked by solid motors. The sparse structure but relatively large size of the motors enables them to transport significant volumes of liquid using minimal solid mass as a motor support structure.