Magnetically and chemically propelled nanowire-based swimmers

Abstract

Small-scale robots are motile micro- and nanodevices with a wealth of potential applications in the field of biomedicine and environmental remediation. Progress in the field of small-scale robotics is undoubtedly related to advances in materials science and micro- and nanomanufacturing. Widely employed nanoarchitectures in the fabrication of these mobile micro- and nanodevices are nanowires. Nanowires can be composed of different types of materials and can be processed in several forms (i.e., single-phase, multisegmented, core-shell, or combinations of these). In this chapter, we review recent developments in nanowire-based micro- and nanorobots. We particularly focus on magnetically driven and catalytically propelled nanowires. Aspects such as fabrication and locomotion strategies are covered.