Light-powered
micromotors have drawn enormous attention because
of their potential applications in cargo delivery, environmental monitoring,
and noninvasive surgery. However, the existing micromotors still suffer
from some challenges, including slow speed, poor controllability,
single locomotion mode, and no deformation during movement. Herein,
we employ a combined electrospinning with brushing of Chinese ink
to simply fabricate a light-responsive gradient-structured poly(vinyl
alcohol)/carbon (PVA/carbon) composite motor. Because of the surface
deposition and ultrahigh loading amount of carbon nanoparticles (ca.
43%), the motor exhibits rapid (39 mm/s), direction-controlled, and
multimodal locomotion (vertical movement, horizontal motion, rotation)
under light irradiation. Simultaneously, gradient alignment structure
of the PVA nanofibrous matrix endows the motor with controllable and
reversible deformation during locomotion. We finally demonstrate the
potential applications of the motors in leakage monitoring, object
salvage, smart access, and intelligent assembly. The present work
will inspire the design of novel photosensitive motors for applications
in various fields, such as microrobots, environmental monitoring,
and biomedicine.