Magnetically Powered Biodegradable Microswimmers

Overview

Journal Micromachines (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Date 2020 Apr 17

PMID 32294955

Citations 11

Authors

Ho Cheung Michael Sun

Pan Liao

Tanyong Wei

Li Zhang

Dong Sun

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The propulsive efficiency and biodegradability of wireless microrobots play a significant role in facilitating promising biomedical applications. Mimicking biological matters is a promising way to improve the performance of microrobots. Among diverse locomotion strategies, undulatory propulsion shows remarkable efficiency and agility. This work proposes a novel magnetically powered and hydrogel-based biodegradable microswimmer. The microswimmer is fabricated integrally by 3D laser lithography based on two-photon polymerization from a biodegradable material and has a total length of 200 μm and a diameter of 8 μm. The designed microswimmer incorporates a novel design utilizing four rigid segments, each of which is connected to the succeeding segment by spring to achieve undulation, improving structural integrity as well as simplifying the fabrication process. Under an external oscillating magnetic field, the microswimmer with multiple rigid segments connected by flexible spring can achieve undulatory locomotion and move forward along with the directions guided by the external magnetic field in the low Reynolds number (Re) regime. In addition, experiments demonstrated that the microswimmer can be degraded successfully, which allows it to be safely applied in real-time in vivo environments. This design has great potential in future in vivo applications such as precision medicine, drug delivery, and diagnosis.

Citing Articles

Rolling Helical Microrobots for Cell Patterning.

Yang Y, Kirmizitas F, Sokolich M, Valencia A, Rivas D, Karakan M Int Conf Manip Autom Robot Small Scales. 2024; 2023.

PMID: 38952455 PMC: 11215787. DOI: 10.1109/marss58567.2023.10294113.

Micro/Nanorobotics in In Vitro Fertilization: A Paradigm Shift in Assisted Reproductive Technologies.

Benhal P Micromachines (Basel). 2024; 15(4).

PMID: 38675321 PMC: 11052506. DOI: 10.3390/mi15040510.

Velocity and Out-Step Frequencies for a Micro-Swimmer Based on Spiral Carbon Nanotubes.

Zhang C, Ma S, Xu L Micromachines (Basel). 2023; 14(7).

PMID: 37512631 PMC: 10385420. DOI: 10.3390/mi14071320.

3D-printed microrobots from design to translation.

Dabbagh S, Sarabi M, Birtek M, Seyfi S, Sitti M, Tasoglu S Nat Commun. 2022; 13(1):5875.

PMID: 36198675 PMC: 9534872. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33409-3.

Stop-Flow Lithography for the Continuous Production of Degradable Hydrogel Achiral Crescent Microswimmers.

Xiong J, Song X, Cai Y, Liu J, Li Y, Ji Y Micromachines (Basel). 2022; 13(5).

PMID: 35630266 PMC: 9144168. DOI: 10.3390/mi13050798.

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