Janus particles and motors: unrivaled devices for mastering (bio)sensing

Band Engineering versus Catalysis: Enhancing the Self-Propulsion of Light-Powered MXene-Derived Metal-TiO2 Micromotors To Degrade Polymer Chains

Light-powered micro- and nanomotors based on photocatalytic semiconductors convert light into mechanical energy, allowing self-propulsion and various functions. Despite recent progress, the ongoing quest to enhance their speed remains crucial, as it holds the potential for further accelerating mass transfer-limited chemical reactions and physical processes. This study focuses on multilayered MXene-derived metal-TiO2 micromotors with different metal materials to investigate the impact of electronic properties of the metal-semiconductor junction, such as energy band bending and built-in electric field, on self-propulsion. By asymmetrically depositing Au or Ag layers on thermally annealed Ti3C2Tx MXene microparticles using sputtering, Janus structures are formed with Schottky junctions at the metal-semiconductor interface. Under UV light irradiation, Au-TiO2 micromotors show higher self-propulsion velocities due to the stronger built-in electric field, enabling efficient photogenerated charge carrier separation within the semiconductor and higher hole accumulation beneath the Au layer. On the contrary, in 0.1 wt % H2O2, Ag-TiO2 micromotors reach higher velocities both in the presence and absence of UV light irradiation, owing to the superior catalytic properties of Ag in H2O2 decomposition. Due to the widespread use of plastics and polymers, and the consequent occurrence of nano/microplastics and polymeric waste in water, Au-TiO2 micromotors were applied in water remediation to break down polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains, which were used as a model for polymeric pollutants in water. These findings reveal the interplay between electronic properties and catalytic activity in metal-semiconductor junctions, offering insights into the future design of powerful light-driven micro- and nanomotors with promising implications for water treatment and photocatalysis applications.

Emerging Roles of Microrobots for Enhancing the Sensitivity of Biosensors

To meet the increasing needs of point-of-care testing in clinical diagnosis and daily health monitoring, numerous cutting-edge techniques have emerged to upgrade current portable biosensors with higher sensitivity, smaller size, and better intelligence. In particular, due to the controlled locomotion characteristics in the micro/nano scale, microrobots can effectively enhance the sensitivity of biosensors by disrupting conventional passive diffusion into an active enrichment during the test. In addition, microrobots are ideal to create biosensors with functions of on-demand delivery, transportation, and multi-objective detections with the capability of actively controlled motion. In this review, five types of portable biosensors and their integration with microrobots are critically introduced. Microrobots can enhance the detection signal in fluorescence intensity and surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection via the active enrichment. The existence and quantity of detection substances also affect the motion state of microrobots for the locomotion-based detection. In addition, microrobots realize the indirect detection of the bio-molecules by functionalizing their surfaces in the electrochemical current and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy detections. We pay a special focus on the roles of microrobots with active locomotion to enhance the detection performance of portable sensors. At last, perspectives and future trends of microrobots in biosensing are also discussed.

Electrokinetic Active Particles for Motion-Based Biomolecule Detection

Detection of biomolecules is essential for patient diagnosis, disease management, and numerous other applications. Recently, nano- and microparticle-based detection has been explored for improving traditional assays by reducing required sample volumes and assay times as well as enhancing tunability. Among these approaches, active particle-based assays that couple particle motion to biomolecule concentration expand assay accessibility through simplified signal outputs. However, most of these approaches require secondary labeling, which complicates workflows and introduces additional points of error. Here, we show a proof-of-concept for a label-free, motion-based biomolecule detection system using electrokinetic active particles. We prepare induced-charge electrophoretic microsensors (ICEMs) for the capture of two model biomolecules, streptavidin and ovalbumin, and show that the specific capture of the biomolecules leads to direct signal transduction through ICEM speed suppression at concentrations as low as 0.1 nM. This work lays the foundation for a new paradigm of rapid, simple, and label-free biomolecule detection using active particles.

Smart micro- and nanorobots for water purification

Less than 1% of Earth's freshwater reserves is accessible. Industrialization, population growth and climate change are further exacerbating clean water shortage. Current water-remediation treatments fail to remove most pollutants completely or release toxic by-products into the environment. The use of self-propelled programmable micro- and nanoscale synthetic robots is a promising alternative way to improve water monitoring and remediation by overcoming diffusion-limited reactions and promoting interactions with target pollutants, including nano- and microplastics, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, oils and pathogenic microorganisms. This Review introduces the evolution of passive micro- and nanomaterials through active micro- and nanomotors and into advanced intelligent micro- and nanorobots in terms of motion ability, multifunctionality, adaptive response, swarming and mutual communication. After describing removal and degradation strategies, we present the most relevant improvements in water treatment, highlighting the design aspects necessary to improve remediation efficiency for specific contaminants. Finally, open challenges and future directions are discussed for the real-world application of smart micro- and nanorobots.

Analyte Sensing with Catalytic Micromotors

Catalytic micromotors can be used to detect molecules of interest in several ways. The straightforward approach is to use such motors as sensors of their "fuel" (i.e., of the species consumed for self-propulsion). Another way is in the detection of species which are not fuel but still modulate the catalytic processes facilitating self-propulsion. Both of these require analysis of the motion of the micromotors because the speed (or the diffusion coefficient) of the micromotors is the analytical signal. Alternatively, catalytic micromotors can be used as the means to enhance mass transport, and thus increase the probability of specific recognition events in the sample. This latter approach is based on "classic" (e.g., electrochemical) analytical signals and does not require an analysis of the motion of the micromotors. Together with a discussion of the current limitations faced by sensing concepts based on the speed (or diffusion coefficient) of catalytic micromotors, we review the findings of the studies devoted to the analytical performances of catalytic micromotor sensors. We conclude that the qualitative (rather than quantitative) analysis of small samples, in resource poor environments, is the most promising niche for the catalytic micromotors in analytical chemistry.

Biocompatible micromotors for biosensing

Micro/nanomotors are nanoscale devices that have been explored in various fields, such as drug delivery, environmental remediation, or biosensing and diagnosis. The use of micro/nanomotors has grown considerably over the past few years, partially because of the advantages that they offer in the development of new conceptual avenues in biosensing. This is due to their propulsion and intermixing in solution compared with their respective static forms, which enables motion-based detection methods and/or decreases bioassay time. This review focuses on the impacts of micro/nanomotors on biosensing research in the last 2 years. An overview of designs for bioreceptor attachment to micro/nanomotors is given. Recent developments have focused on chemically propelled micromotors using external fuels, commonly hydrogen peroxide. However, the associated fuel toxicity and inconvenience of use in relevant biological samples such as blood have prompted researchers to explore new micro/nanomotor biosensing approaches based on biocompatible propulsion sources such as magnetic or ultrasound fields. The main advances in biocompatible propulsion sources for micro/nanomotors as novel biosensing platforms are discussed and grouped by their propulsion-driven forces. The relevant analytical applications are discussed and representatively illustrated. Moreover, envisioning future biosensing applications, the principal advantages of micro/nanomotor synthesis using biocompatible and biodegradable materials are given. The review concludes with a realistic drawing on the present and future perspectives.

Shedding Light on Luminescent Janus Nanoparticles: From Synthesis to Photoluminescence and Applications

Luminescent Janus nanoparticles refer to a special category of Janus-based nanomaterials that not only exhibit dual-asymmetric surface nature but also attractive optical properties. The introduction of luminescence has endowed conventional Janus nanoparticles with many alluring light-responsive functionalities and broadens their applications in imaging, sensing, nanomotors, photo-based therapy, etc. The past few decades have witnessed significant achievements in this field. This review first summarizes well-established strategies to design and prepare luminescent Janus nanoparticles and then discusses optical properties of luminescent Janus nanoparticles based on downconversion and upconversion photoluminescence mechanisms. Various emerging applications of luminescent Janus nanoparticles are also introduced. Finally, opportunities and future challenges are highlighted with respect to the development of next-generation luminescent Janus nanoparticles with diverse applications.