A Review of Micromotors in Confinements: Pores, Channels, Grooves, Steps, Interfaces, Chains, and Swimming in the Bulk

One of the recent frontiers of nanotechnology research involves machines that operate at nano- and microscales, also known as nano/micromotors. Their potential applications in biomedicine, environmental sciences and engineering, military and defense industries, self-assembly, and many other areas have fueled an intense interest in this topic over the last 15 years. Despite deepened understanding of their propulsion mechanisms, we are still in the early days of exploring the dynamics of micromotors in complex and more realistic environments. Confinements, as a typical example of complex environments, are extremely relevant to the applications of micromotors, which are expected to travel in mucus gels, blood vessels, reproductive and digestive tracts, microfluidic chips, and capillary tubes. In this review, we summarize and critically examine recent studies (mostly experimental ones) of micromotor dynamics in confinements in 3D (spheres and porous network, channels, grooves, steps, and obstacles), 2D (liquid–liquid, liquid–solid, and liquid–air interfaces), and 1D (chains). In addition, studies of micromotors moving in the bulk solution and the usefulness of acoustic levitation is discussed. At the end of this article, we summarize how confinements can affect micromotors and offer our insights on future research directions. This review article is relevant to readers who are interested in the interactions of materials with interfaces and structures at the microscale and helpful for the design of smart and multifunctional materials for various applications.