Carbon nitride-based light-driven microswimmers with intrinsic photocharging ability

Controlling autonomous propulsion of microswimmers is essential for targeted drug delivery and applications of micro/nanomachines in environmental remediation and beyond. Herein, we report two-dimensional (2D) carbon nitride-based Janus particles as highly efficient, light-driven microswimmers in aqueous media. Due to the superior photocatalytic properties of poly(heptazine imide) (PHI), the microswimmers are activated by both visible and ultraviolet (UV) light in conjunction with different capping materials (Au, Pt, and SiO(2)) and fuels (H(2)O(2) and alcohols). Assisted by photoelectrochemical analysis of the PHI surface photoreactions, we elucidate the dominantly diffusiophoretic propulsion mechanism and establish the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as the major surface reaction in ambient conditions on metal-capped PHI and even with TiO(2)-based systems, rather than the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which is generally invoked as the source of propulsion under ambient conditions with alcohols as fuels. Making use of the intrinsic solar energy storage ability of PHI, we establish the concept of photocapacitive Janus microswimmers that can be charged by solar energy, thus enabling persistent light-induced propulsion even in the absence of illumination—a process we call “solar battery swimming”—lasting half an hour and possibly beyond. We anticipate that this propulsion scheme significantly extends the capabilities in targeted cargo/drug delivery, environmental remediation, and other potential applications of micro/nanomachines, where the use of versatile earth-abundant materials is a key prerequisite.