Autonomous Self-Assembled Polymeric Particles with Controlled Movement, Directionality and Life-like Adaptive Behaviour

Abstract

Self-powered artificial motile systems are currently attracting increased interest as mimics of biological motors but also as potential components of nanomachinery, robotics, and sensing devices.1 We have recently demonstrated a supramolecular approach to design synthetic nanomotors using self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers into polymersomes and the controlled folding of the vesicles under osmotic stress into a bowl shape morphology.2 The folding process can be precisely controlled to generate different complex architectures3 with adjustable openings and selective entrapment of inorganic catalysts4,5 enzymes or multiple enzymes working together in a metabolic pathway.6,7 Control of the speed and behaviour of the nanomotors is possible due to integration of regulatory feedback and feedforward loops in the enzyme networks designed to preserve energy and run the motors at even lower concentrations of fuel eg. 0.05 mM Glucose. Movement in both blood serum and plasma at physiological concentrations of substrates is consequently demonstrated. The nanomotor is now not only running at low concentrations of fuel but also able to regulate it’s fuel consumption to achieve the same output speed showing adaptive behaviour. Recent developments on greater control over the movement of the nanomotors under chemical gradients or temperature will be presented4,7. Additional manipulation of the nanomotors under external stimuli and their biomedical applications will be discussed.