Oxygen Generation Using Catalytic Nano/Micromotors

Abstract

Gaseous oxygen plays a vital role in driving the metabolism of living organisms and has multiple agricultural, medical, and technological applications. Different methods have been discovered to produce oxygen, including plants, oxygen concentrators and catalytic reactions. However, many such approaches are relatively expensive, involve challenges, complexities in post-production processes or generate undesired reaction products. Catalytic oxygen generation using hydrogen peroxide is one of the simplest and cleanest methods to produce oxygen in the required quantities. Chemically powered micro/nanomotors, capable of self-propulsion in liquid media, offer convenient and economic platforms for on-the-fly generation of gaseous oxygen on demand. Micromotors have opened up opportunities for controlled oxygen generation and transport under complex conditions, critical medical diagnostics and therapy. Mobile oxygen micro-carriers help better understand the energy transduction efficiencies of micro/nanoscopic active matter by careful selection of catalytic materials, fuel compositions and concentrations, catalyst surface curvatures and catalytic particle size, which opens avenues for controllable oxygen release on the level of a single catalytic microreactor. This review discusses various micro/nanomotor systems capable of functioning as mobile oxygen generators while highlighting their features, efficiencies and application potentials in different fields.

An Overview of Recent Progress in Micro/Nanorobots for Biomedical Applications

“…Currently, H 2 O 2 is a widely used fuel in chemical drives. [90,91] The structural designs of micro/nanorobots driven by H 2 O 2catalyzed reactions are abundant, including disc-shaped, [92] rod-shaped, [93] and flask-shaped. [94] Zhou et al [94] designed a flask-like hollow carbonaceous nanorobot.…”

Multifunctional Micromachines Constructed by Combining Multiple Protein-Based Components with Different Functions

“…The addition of surfactant is important for successful propulsion because it decreases the surface tension and bubble size and increases the bubble ejection frequency (Movies S4 and S5). 28 Using this oxygen-bubble-propelled machine, bilirubin in the solution was collected to demonstrate its ability to collect albumin-binding molecules. Bilirubin is a byproduct of brokendown old red blood cells, and its level in the blood serum provides useful information for diagnosing jaundice, anemia, and liver disease.…”

Review of Bubble Applications in Microrobotics: Propulsion, Manipulation, and Assembly

“…In this case, the self-driving motion was realized by the microbubbles [ 117 ]. H 2 O 2 is currently the most popular fuel for chemical propulsion [ 118 , 119 ]. Au- [ 120 , 121 ], Pt- [ 122 , 123 ], Fe- [ 124 , 125 ], Ag- [ 126 ], Mg- [ 127 ], and other metal-based micro/nanorobots can also decompose H 2 O 2 to generate bubbles.…”