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Type: 
Journal
Description: 
The development of artificial small-scale robotic swarms with nature-mimicking collective behaviors represents the frontier of research in robotics. While microrobot swarming under magnetic manipulation has been extensively explored, light-induced self-organization of micro- and nanorobots is still challenging. This study demonstrates the interaction-controlled, reconfigurable, reversible, and active self-assembly of TiO2/α-Fe2O3 microrobots, consisting of peanut-shaped α-Fe2O3 (hematite) microparticles synthesized by a hydrothermal method and covered with a thin layer of TiO2 by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Due to their photocatalytic and ferromagnetic properties, microrobots autonomously move in water under light irradiation, while a magnetic field precisely controls their direction. In the presence of H2O2 fuel, concentration gradients around the illuminated microrobots result in mutual attraction by phoretic …
Publisher: 
Nature Publishing Group UK
Publication date: 
1 Nov 2023
Authors: 

Mario Urso, Martina Ussia, Xia Peng, Cagatay M Oral, Martin Pumera

Biblio References: 
Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Pages: 6969
Origin: 
Nature communications