Mini-emulsion fabricated magnetic and fluorescent hybrid Janus micro-motors

Abstract

Self-propelling micro/nano-motors have attracted great attention due to their controllable active motion and various functional attributes. To date, a variety of technologies have been reported for the fabrication of micro/nano-motors. However, there are still several challenges that need to be addressed. One of them is to endow micro/nano-motors with multi-functionalities by a facile fabrication process. Here, we present a universal approach, adopted from the emulsion templating method, for the fabrication of Janus micro-motors. With a one-step process, magnetic nanoparticles and fluorescent dyes are simultaneously embedded into the microparticles. The self-propelled motors can be used as an active label or fluorescent tracer through manipulation of their motion using magnetic guidance.