Ultrasmall Pt NPs-modified flasklike colloidal motors with high mobility and enhanced ion tolerance

Chemically powered colloidal motors propelled by the self-phoretic effect have attracted widespread attention. However, the low motion efficiency and ion tolerance hinder their application in complex media. Herein, we report a scalable and simple method to synthesize 2.6 nm Platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) in the nanoporous wall of carbonaceous flasklike colloidal motors in a ligand-free manner. The obtained Pt NPs-modified flasklike colloidal motors (Pt-FCMs) are propelled by the catalytic decomposition of H2O2 fuels. They exhibit ultrafast mobility with an instantaneous velocity of 134 & mu;m s(-1) at 5% H2O2, which is equivalent to 180 bodylengths per second. Particularly, these Pt-FCMs have an enhanced ion tolerance, due to the higher catalytic activity of small-sized Pt NPs in the carbonaceous wall. Furthermore, the direction of motion could be reversed by adding cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. Such ultrasmall Pt NPs funtionalized flasklike colloidal motors exhibit a great potential utilization in the field of biomedicines and environmental technology.

Automated summary

Researchers have developed a method to synthesize 2.6 nm Platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) on the nanoporous wall of carbonaceous flasklike colloidal motors, enabling them to exhibit ultrafast mobility and enhanced ion tolerance. These functionalized colloidal motors have great potential applications in the fields of biomedicines and environmental technology.