Circular steering of gold–nickel–platinum micro-vehicle using singular off-center nanoengine

Abstract

A circular steering propulsion mechanism is proposed to explore autonomous movement of a miniature micro-vehicle with singular off-center nanoengine. The micro-vehicle comprising of gold, nickel, and platinum is invented and synthesized by layer-by-layer deposition based on the micro-electro-mechanical systems technology. The self-steering propulsion of the gold–nickel–platinum micro-vehicle is characterized in deionized water at three different hydrogen peroxide concentrations. Experimental results demonstrate that the micro-vehicle autonomously propels forward circularly in either a clockwise or a counter-clockwise direction without any external control. This research sheds light on the exploration of the self-steering propulsion achieved by the micro-vehicle with singular off-center nanoengine.