Photoacid‐Fueled Nanopropeller for the Controllable Motion of One‐Hole Colloidal Motors with On‐Board ATP Supply

A rotary F<sub>l</sub>F<sub>o</sub>-ATPase-driven colloidal motor (RFCM) is reported capable of directional locomotion and on-board ATP synthesis. The RFCMs are fabricated by hierarchical assembly of chloroplast-derived F<sub>l</sub>F<sub>o</sub>-ATPase-embedded thylakoid vesicles onto the single hole of silica-polyelectrolyte capsules preloaded with the photoacid 2-nitrobenzaldehyde. Upon UV illumination, proton release via photoisomerization establishes a transmembrane proton motive force across the ∼200 nm hole, powering continuous unidirectional rotation of the surface-bound ATPases. This rotation propels the RFCMs forward at an average velocity of 3.05 µm s<sup>-1</sup>, effectively mimicking the thrust of nanoscale submarines. Simultaneously, ATP is synthesized in situ and released into the surrounding environment. Notably, these RFCMs exhibit positive chemotaxis toward ADP/OH<sup>-</sup> gradients, resembling natural cellular behavior. This biomimetic propulsion platform integrates autonomous motion with on-board localized energy production, offering a promising foundation for the development of multifunctional nanobots for biomedical and synthetic biology applications.

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Journal
Small
Published
2025-09-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202506850
Primary Topic
Micro and Nano Robotics
Type
article
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article

Photoacid‐Fueled Nanopropeller for the Controllable Motion of One‐Hole Colloidal Motors with On‐Board ATP Supply

Ling Yang, Qiang Zhi He, Qinqin Ruan, Yingjie Wu et al.
Small
Micro and Nano Robotics
article

Photoacid‐Fueled Nanopropeller for the Controllable Motion of One‐Hole Colloidal Motors with On‐Board ATP Supply

Ling Yang, Qiang Zhi He, Qinqin Ruan, Yingjie Wu, Ying Chen, Qihan Zhang
article en

Abstract

A rotary F<sub>l</sub>F<sub>o</sub>-ATPase-driven colloidal motor (RFCM) is reported capable of directional locomotion and on-board ATP synthesis. The RFCMs are fabricated by hierarchical assembly of chloroplast-derived F<sub>l</sub>F<sub>o</sub>-ATPase-embedded thylakoid vesicles onto the single hole of silica-polyelectrolyte capsules preloaded with the photoacid 2-nitrobenzaldehyde. Upon UV illumination, proton release via photoisomerization establishes a transmembrane proton motive force across the ∼200 nm hole, powering continuous unidirectional rotation of the surface-bound ATPases. This rotation propels the RFCMs forward at an average velocity of 3.05 µm s<sup>-1</sup>, effectively mimicking the thrust of nanoscale submarines. Simultaneously, ATP is synthesized in situ and released into the surrounding environment. Notably, these RFCMs exhibit positive chemotaxis toward ADP/OH<sup>-</sup> gradients, resembling natural cellular behavior. This biomimetic propulsion platform integrates autonomous motion with on-board localized energy production, offering a promising foundation for the development of multifunctional nanobots for biomedical and synthetic biology applications.

SmallVol. 22(6)
Wenzhou University (CN), Harbin Institute of Technology (CN), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 84%
Micro and Nano Robotics
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