title: Self-propelled activated carbon Janus micromotors for efficient water purification.
abstract: Self-propelled activated carbon-based Janus particle micromotors that display efficient locomotion in environmental matrices and offer effective 'on-the-fly' removal of wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants are described. The new bubble-propelled activated carbon Janus micromotors rely on the asymmetric deposition of a catalytic Pt patch on the surface of activated carbon microspheres. The rough surface of the activated carbon microsphere substrate results in a microporous Pt structure to provide a highly catalytic layer, which leads to an effective bubble evolution and propulsion at remarkable speeds of over 500 μm/s. Such coupling of the high adsorption capacity of carbon nanoadsorbents with the rapid movement of these catalytic Janus micromotors, along with the corresponding fluid dynamics and mixing, results in a highly efficient moving adsorption platform and a greatly accelerated water purification. The adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms have been investigated. The remarkable decontamination efficiency of self-propelled activated carbon-based Janus micromotors is illustrated towards the rapid removal of heavy metals, nitroaromatic explosives, organophosphorous nerve agents and azo-dye compounds, indicating considerable promise for diverse environmental, defense, and public health applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanoengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jurado-Sánchez
authors.forename: Sirilak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sattayasamitsathit
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fedorak
authors.forename: Virendra V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Jahir
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Orozco
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galarnyk
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D008863:Microspheres; D010261:Paraoxon / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010984:Platinum / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002606:Charcoal; D010984:Platinum; D010261:Paraoxon
keywords: Janus particles; activated carbon; decontamination; micromotors; nanomotors; propulsion; remediation