Self-propelled magnesium based micromotors: synthesis and magnetic steering

In this work the magnesium based Janus micromotors were prepared by an asymmetric coating of Co-Au bilayer on the surface of Mg microparticles. The micromotor could efficiently self-propel in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) with a highest speed of 221 mu m s(-1) without any extra additives through the macrogalvanic corrosion and pitting corrosion mechanism. The influence of pH value of PBS buffer on the motion of micromotor was also investigated. Moreover, we demonstrated that the motion of micromotor could be controlled by an external magnetic field rapidly and accurately, indicating the potential application in biomedicine.