Bioinspired Spiky Micromotors Based on Sporopollenin Exine Capsules

4 years ago

Bioinspired Spiky Micromotors Based on Sporopollenin Exine Capsules

Tijana Marić, Hong Wang, Martin Pumera, Michael G. Potroz, Joshua A. Jackman, Nam-Joon Cho, Bahareh Khezri

The development of a micromotor with unique spiky morphology based on sporopollenin exine capsules (SECs) is reported here. A widely abundant natural material extracted from sunflower pollen grains, the SECs are physically robust, highly monodisperse microcapsules that are ornamented with spiky appendages, opening the door to exploring bubble generation on this unique biomaterial surface. Partial platinum coating on the SEC surface enables catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide that leads to bubble-propelled motion of individual SECs. Moreover, the hollow capsule architecture provides a large internal cavity for macromolecular encapsulation, as demonstrated here by the loading and transport of bovine serum albumin. Taking advantage of the sporopollenin biopolymer's capacity for heavy metal binding, it is further demonstrated that fluid mixing induced by the motion and bubble generation of the SEC micromotors dramatically improves heavy metal binding and removal. The bioinspired micromotors combine the advantageous properties of SECs with autonomous motion ability, resulting in a multifunctional platform for drug delivery and water purification applications. A micromotor with unique spiky morphology based on the sporopollenin exine capsules (SECs) is developed. Derived from sunflower pollen grains, SECs are highly monodisperse microcapsules ornamented with spikes, which are capable of encapsulating macromolecules and binding with heavy metals. Bubble generation on the spiky surface leads to the propulsion of SEC micromotors for cargo transport and dynamic decontamination.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201702338