Design of Chemical and Light-Powered Micromotors

Dear Colleagues,

Nanomotors and micromotors are nanoscale and microscale devices capable of autonomous movement in liquid media by catalytic reactions or by the action of an external stimulate such as magnetic, ultrasound, or light inputs. To date, nanomotor and micromotor autonomous movement in solution is achieved by four main mechanisms, which can influence the future applications. The most employed is the so-called chemical propulsion mechanism, which relies on the decomposition of a fuel (normally hydrogen peroxide) in the catalytic part of micromotors into oxygen bubbles that are expelled or accumulate into one side of the micromotor structure, generating the needed thrust for propulsion. Reactive micromotors compromising Mg or Zn “reactive bodies” can also expel hydrogen bubbles by reaction in basic or acidic media, in which the own body reacts to generate hydrogen bubbles that propels the micromotors. A second mechanism, also known as “fuel free propulsion,” use magnetic, ultrasound, and thermal/light external sources of energy for propulsion. On a third way, living objects have been combined with different nanomaterials to create nanomotors and micromotors with propulsion functions. The four one is the use of electric fields (either local or external) as external stimulate to propel micromotors.

Nanomotors and micromotors have aroused interest in several application fields due to their auto propulsion capacity. Overall, the application field of nanomotors and micromotors range from environmental remediation and monitoring to clinicals diagnosis and drug delivery. In the (bio)-analytical field, monitoring and diagnosis, main applications are conducted with catalytic-propelled micromotors fueled by high levels of peroxide where the high towing force and improved propulsion greatly enhanced the analytical performance without limitations from media constituents. Yet, the requirements for peroxide fuel, which is toxic for living cells, hampered future environmental, in vivo and several in vitro applications, which can be very benefited by magnetic, ultrasound and especially light driven mechanism.

Based on the above, a Special Issue on “Design of Chemical and Light-Powered Micromotors” is open for all contributors in the field of micromotors. We invite submissions of novel and original papers to this special issue that extend and advance our scientific/technical understanding of micromotors propulsion, micromotors design and development techniques and micromotors applications, but not limited to:

- New materials in nano/micromotors design and synthesis

- Nano/Micromotors propulsion mechanism

- Advances in nano/micromotors applications

Dr. Roberto María-Hormigos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. ChemEngineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.