Hot off the press: new paper in ChemNanoMat!

Our paper “Nanorods based on mesoporous silica containing iron oxide nanoparticles as catalytic nanomotors: study of motion dynamics” has been published in ChemNanoMat. It is a result of a collaboration of N&N Group and Smart Nano-Bio-Devices group at the Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia (IBEC). 

The paper studies the motion dynamics of self-propelled nanomotors based on mesoporous silica nanorods. Three types of nanomotors, based on Pt catalysis, Fenton-like reactions of embedded Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles inside the mesopores, and their synergistic combination, are demonstrated to self-propel upon addition of hydrogen peroxide. The rods were fabricated by Jan and the motion was studied by members of Smart Nano-Bio-Devices group at IBEC.

Congratulations to the authors: Jan Grzelak, Anna Roig and Martí Gich!

Abstract: Self‐propelled particles and, in particular, those based on mesoporous silica, have raised considerable interest due to their potential applications in the environmental and biomedical fields thanks to their biocompatibility, tunable surface chemistry and large porosity. Although spherical particles have been widely used to fabricate nano‐ and micromotors, not much attention has been paid to other geometries, such as nanorods. Here, we report the fabrication of self‐propelled mesoporous silica nanorods (MSNRs) that move by the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by a sputtered Pt layer, Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles grown within the mesopores, or the synergistic combination of both. We show that motion can occur in two distinct sub‐populations characterized by two different motion dynamics, namely enhanced diffusion or directional propulsion, especially when both catalysts are used. These results open up the possibility of using MSNRs as chassis for the fabrication of self‐propelled particles for the environmental or biomedical fields.