Nanorobots are being received with a great attention for their move-sense-and-act capabilities that often originate from catalytic decomposition of fuels. In the past decade, single-atom engineering has demonstrated exceptional efficiency in catalysis, energy-related technologies, and medicine. Here, a novel approach involving point defect engineering and the incorporation of platinum (Pt) single atoms and atomic level species onto the surface of titanium dioxide nanotubes (TiO₂-NT)-based nanorobots is presented and its impact on the propulsion capabilities of the resulting nanorobots is investigated. The achievement of point defect engineering is realized through the annealing of TiO₂-NT in a hydrogen atmosphere yielding to the point-defect decorated nanotube (TiO₂-HNT) nanorobots. Subsequently, the atomic level Pt species decorated TiO₂ nanotube (TiO₂-SA-NT) nanorobots are achieved through a wet-chemical deposition process. Whereas TiO₂-SA-NT nanorobots showed the highest negative photogravitaxis when irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light, TiO₂-HNT nanorobots reached the highest velocity calculated in 2D. Both TiO₂-HNT and TiO₂-SA-NT nanorobots demonstrated a pronounced affinity for microplastics, exhibiting the capability to irreversibly capture them. This pioneering approach utilizing point-defect and atomic level Pt species nanorobotics is anticipated to pave the way for highly efficient solutions in the remediation of nano- and microplastics and related environmental technologies.

中文翻译：

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纳米机器人的精密工程：实现单原子装饰和缺陷控制以增强微塑料捕获


纳米机器人因其移动、感知和行动能力而受到极大关注，这些能力通常源自燃料的催化分解。在过去的十年中，单原子工程在催化、能源相关技术和医学方面表现出了卓越的效率。在此，提出了一种涉及点缺陷工程以及将铂 (Pt) 单原子和原子级物质合并到二氧化钛纳米管 (TiO ₂ -NT) 基纳米机器人表面的新方法，及其对机器人推进能力的影响。研究了由此产生的纳米机器人。点缺陷工程的实现是通过TiO ₂ -NT在氢气气氛中退火产生点缺陷装饰纳米管（TiO ₂ -HNT）纳米机器人来实现的。随后，通过湿化学沉积工艺实现了原子级Pt物质装饰的TiO ₂纳米管（TiO ₂ -SA-NT）纳米机器人。 TiO ₂ -SA-NT 纳米机器人在紫外 (UV) 光照射下表现出最高的负光引力，而 TiO ₂ -HNT 纳米机器人则达到了二维计算的最高速度。 TiO ₂ -HNT 和 TiO ₂ -SA-NT 纳米机器人都表现出对微塑料的显着亲和力，表现出不可逆捕获它们的能力。这种利用点缺陷和原子级 Pt 物种纳米机器人的开创性方法预计将为修复纳米和微塑料及相关环境技术的高效解决方案铺平道路。