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.
Authors
- Ling Yang
- Qiang Zhi He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3557-6865)
- Qinqin Ruan
- Yingjie Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2480-257X)
- Ying Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1206-2896)
- Qihan Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3494-6939)
Institutions
- Wenzhou University (CN)
- Harbin Institute of Technology (CN)
- Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-09-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202506850
- Primary Topic
- Micro and Nano Robotics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00