title: Micromotors Powered by Enzyme Catalysis.
abstract: Active biocompatible systems are of great current interest for their possible applications in drug or antidote delivery at specific locations. Herein, we report the synthesis and study of self-propelled microparticles powered by enzymatic reactions and their directed movement in substrate concentration gradient. Polystyrene microparticles were functionalized with the enzymes urease and catalase using a biotin-streptavidin linkage procedure. The motion of the enzyme-coated particles was studied in the presence of the respective substrates, using optical microscopy and dynamic light scattering analysis. The diffusion of the particles was found to increase in a substrate concentration dependent manner. The directed chemotactic movement of these enzyme-powered motors up the substrate gradient was studied using three-inlet microfluidic channel architecture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.
authors.forename: Krishna K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Dey
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.
authors.forename: Benjamin M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Tansi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez , Mayagüez, PR 00681, Puerto Rico, United States.
authors.forename: Wilfredo J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Méndez-Ortiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez , Mayagüez, PR 00681, Puerto Rico, United States.
authors.forename: Ubaldo M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Córdova-Figueroa
authors.affiliation: Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford , Oxford OX1 3NP, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Golestanian
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.
authors.forename: Ayusman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sen
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002384:Catalysis; D004798:Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry*; D044085:Microfluidics
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004798:Enzymes
keywords: Enzymes; catalysis; chemotaxis; diffusion; micromotors; microparticles