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Carbon-Nanotube-Induced Acceleration of Catalytic Nanomotors

Supporting Info

Rawiwan Laocharoensuk, Jared Burdick and Joseph Wang*

Biodesign Institute, Departments of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287

ACS Nano, 2008, 2 (5), pp 1069–1075

DOI: 10.1021/nn800154g

Publication Date (Web): April 24, 2008

* Address correspondence to joseph.wang@asu.edu.

Abstract

Synthetic nanoscale motors represent a major step toward the development of practical nanomachines. Despite impressive progress, man-made nanomachines lack the efficiency and speed of their biological counterparts. Here we show that the incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNT) into the platinum (Pt) component of asymmetric metal nanowire motors leads to dramatically accelerated movement in hydrogen-peroxide solutions, with average speeds (50−60 µm/s) approaching those of natural biomolecular motors. Further accelerationto 94 µm/s, with some motors moving above 200 µm/sis observed upon adding hydrazine to the peroxide fuel. Factors influencing the accelerated movement, including the CNT loading and fuel concentration, are examined. Such development of highly efficient and controllable nanomotors offers great promise for self-powered nanoscale transport and delivery systems.

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