Fuel-Free Micro-/Nanomotors as Intelligent Therapeutic Agents

There are many efficient biological motors in Nature that perform complex functions by converting chemical energy into mechanical motion. Inspired by this, the development of their synthetic counterparts has aroused tremendous research interest in the past decade. Among these man-made motor systems, the fuel-free (or light, magnet, ultrasound, or electric field driven) motors are advantageous in terms of controllability, lifespan, and biocompatibility concerning bioapplications, when compared with their chemically powered counterparts. Therefore, this review will highlight the latest biomedical applications in the versatile field of externally propelled micro-/nanomotors, as well as elucidating their driving mechanisms. A perspective into the future of the micro-/nanomotors field and a discussion of the challenges we need to face along the road towards practical clinical translation of external-field-propelled micro-/nanomotors will be provided.