Lightweight and drift-free magnetically actuated millirobots via asymmetric laser-induced graphene

Lightweight and drift-free magnetically actuated millirobots via asymmetric laser-induced graphene

21 May 2024 | Yun Chen, Yuhan Guo, Bin Xie, Fujun Jin, Li Ma, Hao Zhang, Yihao Li, Xin Chen, Maoxiang Hou, Jian Gao, Huilong Liu, Yu-Jing Lu, Ching-Ping Wong & Ni Zhao
This study presents a novel method for fabricating lightweight, drift-free magnetically actuated millirobots using asymmetric laser-induced graphene (LIG). The researchers developed a series of graphene-based helical millirobots by introducing asymmetric light pattern distortion during a laser-induced polymer-to-graphene conversion process. This distortion caused the spontaneous twisting and peeling off of graphene sheets from the polymer substrate. The lightweight nature of graphene combined with the laser-induced porous microstructure provides a millirobot scaffold with low density and high surface hydrophobicity. Magnetically driven nickel-coated graphene-based helical millirobots with rapid locomotion, excellent trajectory tracking, and precise drug delivery ability were fabricated from the scaffold. These millirobots were fabricated at a speed of 77 scaffolds per second, demonstrating their potential for high-throughput and large-scale production. The study demonstrates the advantages of the graphene-based helical millirobots in terms of their long-distance locomotion and drug transport in a physiological environment. The millirobots were tested for drug delivery in gastric cancer treatment, showing their ability to navigate and deliver drugs effectively. The study also highlights the potential of these millirobots for various applications, including drug delivery, pollutant cleaning, and sensing. The millirobots were fabricated using a unique laser-induced graphene process that enables high-throughput fabrication with high speed and nearly-drift-free orientation capabilities. The millirobots were found to have a high swimming velocity of 2.64 body lengths per second and almost zero lateral drift. The study also evaluated the drug loading and release capabilities of the millirobots, demonstrating their ability to deliver drugs effectively. The millirobots were tested in vivo for therapeutic drug delivery, showing their effectiveness in treating gastric cancer. The study concludes that the graphene-based helical millirobots have the potential to meet performance, versatility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness requirements simultaneously.This study presents a novel method for fabricating lightweight, drift-free magnetically actuated millirobots using asymmetric laser-induced graphene (LIG). The researchers developed a series of graphene-based helical millirobots by introducing asymmetric light pattern distortion during a laser-induced polymer-to-graphene conversion process. This distortion caused the spontaneous twisting and peeling off of graphene sheets from the polymer substrate. The lightweight nature of graphene combined with the laser-induced porous microstructure provides a millirobot scaffold with low density and high surface hydrophobicity. Magnetically driven nickel-coated graphene-based helical millirobots with rapid locomotion, excellent trajectory tracking, and precise drug delivery ability were fabricated from the scaffold. These millirobots were fabricated at a speed of 77 scaffolds per second, demonstrating their potential for high-throughput and large-scale production. The study demonstrates the advantages of the graphene-based helical millirobots in terms of their long-distance locomotion and drug transport in a physiological environment. The millirobots were tested for drug delivery in gastric cancer treatment, showing their ability to navigate and deliver drugs effectively. The study also highlights the potential of these millirobots for various applications, including drug delivery, pollutant cleaning, and sensing. The millirobots were fabricated using a unique laser-induced graphene process that enables high-throughput fabrication with high speed and nearly-drift-free orientation capabilities. The millirobots were found to have a high swimming velocity of 2.64 body lengths per second and almost zero lateral drift. The study also evaluated the drug loading and release capabilities of the millirobots, demonstrating their ability to deliver drugs effectively. The millirobots were tested in vivo for therapeutic drug delivery, showing their effectiveness in treating gastric cancer. The study concludes that the graphene-based helical millirobots have the potential to meet performance, versatility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness requirements simultaneously.
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