Enzyme-Powered Hollow Mesoporous Janus Nanomotors

Nano Lett. 2015 Oct 14;15(10):7043-50. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b03100. Epub 2015 Oct 5.

Abstract

The development of synthetic nanomotors for technological applications in particular for life science and nanomedicine is a key focus of current basic research. However, it has been challenging to make active nanosystems based on biocompatible materials consuming nontoxic fuels for providing self-propulsion. Here, we fabricate self-propelled Janus nanomotors based on hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNPs), which are powered by biocatalytic reactions of three different enzymes: catalase, urease, and glucose oxidase (GOx). The active motion is characterized by a mean-square displacement (MSD) analysis of optical video recordings and confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. We found that the apparent diffusion coefficient was enhanced by up to 83%. In addition, using optical tweezers, we directly measured a holding force of 64 ± 16 fN, which was necessary to counteract the effective self-propulsion force generated by a single nanomotor. The successful demonstration of biocompatible enzyme-powered active nanomotors using biologically benign fuels has a great potential for future biomedical applications.

Keywords: Hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles; Janus particles; enzyme; hybrid motors; nanomotors; optical tweezers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Enzymes / metabolism*
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Nanostructures*

Substances

  • Enzymes