2D-based nano/microswimmers: Towards biomedical and environmental applications

Title : 2D-based nano/microswimmers: Towards biomedical and environmental applications

Abstract:

Nano/microswimmers with autonomous motion are the frontier of nanotechnology and nanomaterial research. These self-propelled nano/microswimmers convert chemical energy obtained from their surroundings to propulsion. Particularly, the recent progress in targeted drug delivery and efficient water purification systems is very promising.

Graphene and the recently discovered layered materials -beyond graphene- have superior properties and have made a great impact on the new generation of energy, biomedical and environmental applications. Integration of single/few layers materials with extremely high surface area into nano/microswimmers has been created a dynamic platform which could significantly enhance motor’s functions in terms of adsorption capacity and mobility. We have employed 2D-based microswimmers to demonstrate (i) organics / heavy metals / ions collection and DOX loading, (ii) a targeted transport system, (iii) the on-demand release mechanism, and (iv) the recovery of the robots for further usage.

Audience take-away:

• On this talk I will focus on applications of advanced nano/microswimmers based on graphene and novel layered materials. The single/few-layered materials with extremely high surface area provide additional properties, which could significantly enhance motor’s functions in terms of adsorption capacity and mobility.
• Our efforts were intended to explore unique functionalities of layered materials-based motors with enhanced performance towards:
  (i) Drug delivery systems: pickup (drug-motor interaction), transport (ensured carriage of drugs from pickup point to release point), and release (delivery of the drug to the desired location).
  (ii) Environmental applications: pollutant sensing and adsorption, removal and degradation, and recovery of the motors.
• This multidisciplinary research field is still in its early stage as it is completely new. It has been started at 2004 and very few researchers work in this field. This talk can introduce the research to the community and open up the new routes and more collaborations.

Biography:

Dr. Bahareh Khezri studied Chemistry at Isfahan University of Technology and Isfahan University, as BSc (1999-2001) and MSc (2003-2006) in Iran. At 2008 she received Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) and joined the research group of Prof. Richard D. Webster at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. After PhD graduation (2013) she continued as postdoc in the same group. In 2015 she joined at the Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education (CARES), in Singapore. After two years stay at CARES and Cambridge University she moved to Czech Republic and joined department of the Inorganic Chemistry, university of the Chemistry and Technology of Prague (VSCHT) as senior scientist. In December 2019 she received a research grant for “nano/micromotors: Towards Biomedical and Environmental Applications” from the Czech Science Foundation (GACR: GACR No. 20-20201S) and continued at VSCHT as Principal Investigator (PI). She has also received Beatriu de Pinós fellowship (2021, ICIQ) from Spain. As she has granted Ramón y Cajal (RYC) fellowship in August 2021, she will establish her own group at University of Barcelona in September 2022 as RYC. She has published more than 60 research articles in ISI journals.