Self-propelled autonomous nanomotors meet microfluidics

Abstract

Self-propelled autonomous nano/micromotors are in the forefront of current materials science and technology research. These small machines convert chemical energy from the environment into propulsion, and they can move autonomously in the environment and are capable of chemotaxis or magnetotaxis. They can be used for drug delivery, microsurgeries or environmental remediation. It is of immense interest from a future biomedical application point of view to understand the motion of the nano/micromotors in microfluidic channels. In this minireview, we review the progress on the use of nano/micromotors in microfluidic channels and lab-on-chip devices.