Nanomotors Made from Carbon Nanotubes and Nanowires

The ability to shuttle nanometer-sized cargo controllably could have implications in nanoscale loading and delivery applications in biotechnology. In their article in ACS Nano, Prof. Joseph Wang and co-workers describe the incorporation of carbon nanotubes with nanowires made from gold and platinum (Au/Pt-CNT nanowires) to produce high-speed catalytic nanomotors that are capable of autonomous motion.

The Au/Pt-CNT nanowires are propelled by the breakdown of a hydrogen peroxide/hydrazine “fuel” to hydrogen and oxygen. The authors show that incorporating carbon nanotubes drastically increases the speed of the nanomotors compared to Au/Pt nanowires alone by increasing the oxidation efficiency of the fuel.