Helical Soft Robots with Magnetic and Photocatalytic Components for Water Remediation
Soft robots have demonstrated exceptional potential in various applications, particularly in biomedicine, which is attributed to their motional agility and machinability. However, their potential applications in water remediation have not been fully explored. The main challenge is to achieve both precise motion and efficient pollutant degradation. Herein, a modular design is reported for fabricating soft robots. These robots are designed with spatially separated components. One is superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetic actuation and the other is photocatalysts for targeted pollutant degradation (i.e., methyl orange, congo red, rhodamine B, tetracycline, and soybean oil). The helical structure enables diverse programmable motional modes, including high-speed propulsion up to 3.54 mm s<sup>-1</sup>. At the same time, the photocatalytic module enables efficient degradation of multiple pollutants with excellent reusability. The modular design combines structural stability with multifunctionality and opens new opportunities for soft robots in environmental remediation.
Authors
- Haoxiang Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6823-0649)
- Yazhou Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0446-2291)
- Yun Qian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1600-5693)
- Radek Zbořil (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3147-2196)
- Johan Hofkens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9101-0567)
- Tongfang Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0247-1488)
- Feili Lai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4945-0737)
- Kläus Müllen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6630-8786)
- Silvio Osella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8541-1914)
- Jiaming Gong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3309-4627)
- Xiaoyuan Peng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2302-362X)
- Jingjing Qin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2913-6596)
- Pengyang Xuan
- Tianlu Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9972-7821)
- Guohao Xue
- Tianxi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7550-5941)
Institutions
- Jiangnan University (CN)
- VSB - Technical University of Ostrava (CZ)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (DE)
- Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital (CN)
- University of Warsaw (PL)
- RWTH Aachen University (DE)
- KU Leuven (BE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-02-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202412516
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Micro and Nano Robotics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.52
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek