Self‐Immolative Polymers to Initiate Locomotion in Motors

Nanomotors are assembled using a self-immolative polymer conjugated to silica particles, which is susceptible to BSA cleavage. Disintegration of the self-immolative polymer coating results in enhanced diffusion of the nanomotors with a top speed of ∼3 μm s⁻¹.

Abstract

Nanomotors that use polymers to gain locomotion is an upcoming concept. Here, we made use of self-immolative polymers (SIP), i. e., polymers that disintegrate in a domino-like fashion, to initiate motion in 500 nm silica particles. We selected a BSA-triggered SIP and assessed its degradation both in solution and when deposited onto the silica particles. A 1.5-fold increase of monomer was found in the solution compared to the controls, suggesting the SIP disintegration. The locomotion of the SIP-coated motors was shown to have an average velocity of up to ∼3 μm s⁻¹ when incubated with BSA. These proof of concept findings illustrate an alternative polymer-powered motor design, which benefits from modern polymer chemistry concepts.

Zum Volltext