Date: 
Friday, April 14, 2023
Speaker: 
Dott.ssa Martina Ussia
Abstract: 

The resources within the PNRR program allocated to fund research activities for young researchers who have obtained a "Seal of Excellence" through participation in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships provided the opportunity for international researchers to apply for an Italian call that aims to implement the MSCA project idea with €150k in funding and offering three years research contract. The project focuses on developing advanced hybrid organic/inorganic light- and magnetically navigable micro/nanorobots that can be remotely guided using a combination of an external rotating magnetic field and a specific light source. WaterBots aims to leverage the capabilities of intrinsically magnetic- and light-responsive inorganic semiconductors with tunable size and shape. Additionally, a specialized coating with responsive molecules introduces programmable multitasking and sensitivity to other external environmental stimuli, enabling new motion mechanism behaviors (such as swarming and phototaxis) and further impacting their abilities to remove contaminants in water and for biomedical applications.