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Molybdenum Disulfide‐Based Tubular Microengines: Toward Biomedical Applications
Author(s) -
Singh Virendra V.,
Kaufmann Kevin,
de Ávila Berta EstebanFernández,
Karshalev Emil,
Wang Joseph
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201602005
Subject(s) - materials science , molybdenum disulfide , nanotechnology , stacking , drug delivery , combinatorial chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , metallurgy
2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) is herein explored as an advanced surface material in the fabrication of powerful tubular microengines. The new catalytic self‐propelled open‐tube bilayer microengines have been fabricated using a template electrodeposition and couple the unique properties of sp 2 hybridized MoS 2 with highly reactive inner granular Pt catalytic structures. The MoS 2 /metal microengines display extremely efficient bubble propulsion, reflecting the granular structure of the inner catalytic platinum or gold layers (compared to the smooth metal surfaces of common micromotors). The efficient movement of functionalized MoS 2 micromotors can address challenges imposed by slow mass transport processes involved in various applications of MoS 2. The delocalized electron network of the MoS 2 outer layer facilitates π–π stacking interactions and endows the tubular microengines with a diverse array of capabilities. These are demonstrated here for efficient loading and release of the drug doxorubicin, and rapid and sensitive “OFF–ON” fluorescent detection of important nucleic acids (miRNA‐21) and proteins (thrombin) using microengines modified with dye‐labeled single‐stranded DNA and aptamer, respectively. Such coupling of the attractive capabilities of 2D‐MoS 2 nanosheets with rapidly moving microengines provides an opportunity to develop multifunctional micromachines for diverse biomedical applications ranging from efficient drug delivery to the detection of important bioanalytes.