Photocurable Acrylic-Resin-Based Tubular Micromotors with Smart External Surfaces

We present a distinctive synthesis method for photocurable acrylic-resin-based tubular micromotors characterized by smart external surfaces and augmented functionalities through autonomous swimming motion. Basic polymer tubes with an internal surface composed of Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs) (referred to as Pt tubes) were fabricated via a two-step template-assisted process using a track-etched polycarbonate membrane: (i) photopolymerization to construct a poly{bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethy]phosphate} hollow cylinder and (ii) layer-by-layer deposition to create the PtNP interior. After the template was etched, the liberated tubes were coated with avidin, fetuin, or TiO 2 nanoparticles. The outer diameter and length of the tubes were measured at approximately 8 and 18 μm, respectively. These ingeniously designed tubes exhibit self-propulsion in an aqueous H 2 O 2 solution, powered by the expulsion of the O 2 bubbles from the open-end terminus. The avidin-coated Pt tube micromotors efficiently capture biotin compounds. The swimming fetuin-covered tubes capture influenza virus-shaped nanoparticles. Moreover, the self-stirring motion of TiO 2 -wrapped tubes promotes the photolysis reactions of organic dyes as model pollutants. These findings underscore the remarkable potential of various polymer-based tubular micromotors with readily modifiable functionalities.