Nano-Micro Letters, Volume. 16, Issue 1, 041(2024)

Recent Developments in Metallic Degradable Micromotors for Biomedical and Environmental Remediation Applications

Sourav Dutta1...2, Seungmin Noh1,2, Roger Sanchis Gual3, Xiangzhong Chen4, Salvador Pané3, Bradley J. Nelson3, and Hongsoo Choi12,* |Show fewer author(s)
Author Affiliations
  • 1Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
  • 2DGIST-ETH Microrobotics Research Center, DGIST, Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
  • 3Multi-Scale Robotics Lab, Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
  • 4Institute of Optoelectronics, State Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Science and Technology, Shanghai Frontiers Science Research Base of Intelligent Optoelectronics and Perception, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of China
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    Synthetic micromotor has gained substantial attention in biomedicine and environmental remediation. Metal-based degradable micromotor composed of magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) have promise due to their nontoxic fuel-free propulsion, favorable biocompatibility, and safe excretion of degradation products Recent advances in degradable metallic micromotor have shown their fast movement in complex biological media, efficient cargo delivery and favorable biocompatibility. A noteworthy number of degradable metal-based micromotors employ bubble propulsion, utilizing water as fuel to generate hydrogen bubbles. This novel feature has projected degradable metallic micromotors for active in vivo drug delivery applications. In addition, understanding the degradation mechanism of these micromotors is also a key parameter for their design and performance. Its propulsion efficiency and life span govern the overall performance of a degradable metallic micromotor. Here we review the design and recent advancements of metallic degradable micromotors. Furthermore, we describe the controlled degradation, efficient in vivo drug delivery, and built-in acid neutralization capabilities of degradable micromotors with versatile biomedical applications. Moreover, we discuss micromotors’ efficacy in detecting and destroying environmental pollutants. Finally, we address the limitations and future research directions of degradable metallic micromotors.

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    Sourav Dutta, Seungmin Noh, Roger Sanchis Gual, Xiangzhong Chen, Salvador Pané, Bradley J. Nelson, Hongsoo Choi. Recent Developments in Metallic Degradable Micromotors for Biomedical and Environmental Remediation Applications[J]. Nano-Micro Letters, 2024, 16(1): 041

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    Paper Information

    Category: Research Articles

    Received: Jun. 30, 2023

    Accepted: Oct. 19, 2023

    Published Online: Jan. 23, 2025

    The Author Email: Choi Hongsoo (mems@dgist.ac.kr)

    DOI:10.1007/s40820-023-01259-3

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