Microrobots that integrate biological entities with artificial nanomaterials have shown a lot of potential. The best exploitation of natural abilities can be impeded by the use of physical hybridization approaches.
Plants were used to demonstrate the removal of the pesticide chlorpyrifos from the environment. Researchers cultivated plant calli on media that contained ferromagnetic material. Iron oxide was taken up in the plant cells. Structural stability and enhanced callus growth were provided by these materials.
The removal efficiency of the plant-based robots was 80%. Magnetic plant biobots can be used to remove pesticides and heavy metal. Magnetic plant biorobots are great candidates to clean polluted water.
In a study published in NPG Asia Materials, the researchers showed that magnetically propelled plant bioBots, employing tomato-callus cultivation engineering in the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles, are capable of active movement and direction under a rotating magnetic field.
The iron oxide particles were taken up into the plant tissue cells and used as a plant biobot. The growth of callus cells can be supported by iron ion support.
The magnetic plant biobots were able to remove chlorpyrifos using an external magnetic field. The plant biorobots described here demonstrated their potential.
The magnetic plant biobots are easy to prepare. Prof Martin Pumera says that the procedure can be scaled up.
More information: Su-Jin Song et al, Engineered magnetic plant biobots for nerve agent removal, NPG Asia Materials (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41427-022-00425-0
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