Atomic Layer Deposition of Pt Nanoparticles for Microengine with Promoted Catalytic Motion

Nanoparticle-decorated tubular microengines were synthesized by a combination of rolled-up nanotechnology and atomic layer deposition. The presence of Pt nanoparticles with different sizes and distributions on the walls of microengines fabricated from bilayer nanomembranes with different materials results in promoted catalytic reaction efficiency, which leads to an ultrafast speed (the highest speed 3200 μm/s). The motion speed of the decorated microengines fits the theoretical model very well, suggesting that the larger surface area is mainly responsible for the acceleration of the motion speed. The high-speed nanoparticle-decorated microengines hold considerable promise for a variety of applications.