Carbon-Nanotube-Induced Acceleration of Catalytic Nanomotors

TLDR

Synthetic nanoscale motors are a major step toward practical nanomachines, yet they remain less efficient and slower than biological counterparts. The study examines how carbon‑nanotube loading and fuel concentration influence the accelerated motion of the motors. Incorporating carbon nanotubes into the platinum component of asymmetric metal nanowire motors dramatically accelerates their motion in hydrogen‑peroxide solutions to 50–60 µm/s, reaching 94 µm/s and over 200 µm/s with hydrazine, demonstrating a promising platform for self‑powered nanoscale transport and delivery.

Abstract

Synthetic nanoscale motors represent a major step toward the development of practical nanomachines. Despite impressive progress, man-made nanomachines lack the efficiency and speed of their biological counterparts. Here we show that the incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNT) into the platinum (Pt) component of asymmetric metal nanowire motors leads to dramatically accelerated movement in hydrogen-peroxide solutions, with average speeds (50−60 µm/s) approaching those of natural biomolecular motors. Further acceleration—to 94 µm/s, with some motors moving above 200 µm/s—is observed upon adding hydrazine to the peroxide fuel. Factors influencing the accelerated movement, including the CNT loading and fuel concentration, are examined. Such development of highly efficient and controllable nanomotors offers great promise for self-powered nanoscale transport and delivery systems.