Prototypical Magnetoelectric Micromachines

Magnetoelectric materials, which can convert magnetic energy into electric output, have been extensively studied since the last decade. This kind of materials has already shown great promise in several devices such as memories and sensors. However, they are not yet integrated in mobile machines such as micro- and nanorobots.

Small-scale robots have attracted wide attention due to their great potential application in various fields such as targeted delivery, minimally invasive surgery, and environmental remediation. However, compared to microorganisms, which can be considered as highly integrated micromachines utilizing a single energy input (i.e., food) to effectively accomplish various missions (such as sensing, locomotion, reproduction, etc.), micro- and nanorobots usually are task-specific, and their integration level is still low. A typical drawback is that the power for controlled locomotion and on-demand-triggering function are usually from different energy sources, which hinders the realization of highly-integrated multifunctional microrobots together with simple manipulation systems.

By integrating magnetoelectric materials onto micromachines, we propose a prototype, which can be powered by a single-energy source (magnetic energy) for both locomotion and on-demand function triggering, to enlighten the concept of highly-integrated multifunctional microdevices with simplified manipulation system. This concept not only presents a further step in the development of micromachines but also will open new avenues for the application of magnetoelectric materials. Moreover, by introducing magnetoelectric materials, micromachines are endowed the ability of inducing electrochemical reactions, which is noteworthy because more than 80 percent of vital biochemical reactions in cells are redox reactions. The unique magnetoelectric feature makes them promising as metal scavengers, cell stimulators or electric field-assisted drug delivery agents.

This paper has been published on Materials Horizons, a new flagship materials journal of Royal Chemistry Society, and selected as cover page. It also has been showcased in renowned channels such as The Times, Mirror Online, ETH News, Phys.org, Science Daily, etc.)

Details can be found at:

Chen, X. Z.; Shamsudhin, N.; Hoop, M.; Pieters, R.; Siringil, E.; Sakar, M. S.; Nelson, B. J.; Pané, S., Magnetoelectric Micromachines with Wirelessly Controlled Navigation and Functionality. Materials Horizons, 2016, 3 (2), 113-118.