Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Assessing the Autonomic and Behavioral Effects of Passive Motion in Rats using Elevator Vertical Motion and Ferris-Wheel Rotation
Published on: February 7, 2020
Supercapacitors in Motion: Autonomous Microswimmers for Natural-Resource Recovery
Seyyed Mohsen Beladi-Mousavi1, Bahareh Khezri1, Stanislava Matějková2
1Center for the Advanced Functional Nanorobots, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology, Technická 5, Prague, Czech Republic.
Abstract:
An electroadsorption technique similar to the ultrafast charging mechanism in supercapacitors is utilized to remove metals with different sizes and hydrophilicities from contaminated water using self-propelled microswimmers. The swimmers carry graphite fibre or bismuth with a layered crystal structure providing high electrostatic double-layer capacitances. Unlike previous methods, this electrochemical technique does not only utilize the surface of the swimmers, but due to the interlayer spacing of the graphite and bismuth, it is able to store metals in ≈400 layers, allowing removal and recovery of >50 ppm lithium in only 5 min. A larger interlayer distance between bismuth sheets allows the removal of bigger cations (sodium and calcium), expanding the application of this method to a large variety of natural elements. Finally, magnetic navigation of charged swimmers to an oxygen-saturated media causes oxidation and thus immediate release of the metal ions from the swimmers.
Related Concept Videos
Short-distance Transport of Resources
Autonomic Nervous System
The ANS comprises two main divisions: the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. These divisions function antagonistically to maintain a dynamic...
What is Natural Selection?
Nature and Nurture
Autonomic Nervous System: Overview
Disorders of the Autonomic Nervous System
Raynaud's disease, also known as Raynaud's...

