Interfacial Superassembly of Light-Responsive Mechanism-Switchable Nanomotors with Tunable Mobility and Directionality

Mechanism-switchable nanomotors are expected to exhibit high adaptability and wide applicability. Herein, for the first time, we report a flask-shaped carbon@Pt@fatty-acid nanomotor with a light-induced switch between nonionic self-diffusiophoresis and bubble propulsion. This nanomotor is fabricated through superassembly of platinum nanoparticles on the surface of carbon nanobottles, and fatty acids are infused into the cavity of carbon nanobottles to serve as a light-sensitive switch. Such a nanomotor can be propelled via catalytic decomposition of H2O2 by platinum nanoparticles, exhibiting self-diffusiophoresis with opening-forward migration. Upon 980 nm laser irradiation, the fatty acids melt due to the photothermal effect and are released from the cavity, switching the dominant operational mechanism to bubble propulsion with bottom-forward migration. Compared with self-diffusiophoresis, bubble propulsion shows higher mobility and better directionality due to the hindered self-rotation. Simulation results further reveal that the confinement effect of the cavity, which facilitates the nucleation of nanobubbles, leads to the switch to bubble propulsion. This study offers an insight into the relationship between nanostructures, fundamental nanomotor operational mechanisms, and apparent propulsion performance, as well as provides a novel strategy for the regulation of movement, which is instructive for both the design and applications of nanomotors.