Glucose-Fueled Micromotors with Highly Efficient Visible-Light Photocatalytic Propulsion

Synthetic micro/nanomotors fueled by glucose are highly desired for numerous practical applications because of the biocompatibility of their required fuel. However, currently all of the glucose-fueled micro/nanomotors are based on enzyme-catalytic-driven mechanisms, which usually suffer from strict operation conditions and weak propulsion characteristics that greatly limit their applications. Here, we report a highly efficient glucose-fueled cuprous oxide@N-doped carbon nanotube (Cu₂O@N-CNT) micromotor, which can be activated by environment-friendly visible-light photocatalysis. The speeds of such Cu₂O@N-CNT micromotors can reach up to 18.71 μm/s, which is comparable to conventional Pt-based catalytic Janus micromotors usually fueled by toxic H₂O₂ fuel. In addition, the velocities of such motors can be efficiently regulated by multiple approaches, such as adjusting the N-CNT content within the micromotors, glucose concentrations, or light intensities. Furthermore, the Cu₂O@N-CNT micromotors exhibit a highly controllable negative phototaxis behavior (moving away from light sources). Such motors with outstanding propulsion in biological environments and wireless, repeatable, and light-modulated three-dimensional motion control are extremely attractive for future practical applications.