Magnetic field-enhanced transformation of biochemical energy into motion of enzyme-modified graphene monolayers

Abstract

This contribution studies enzymatically driven graphene monolayer swimmers for the direct transformation of biochemical energy into motion. The swimmers are elaborated via bipolar electrodeposition of gold and asymmetric immobilization of glucose oxidase and bilirubin oxidase on small pieces of a graphene monolayer. Most importantly, we demonstrate that the speed of the free-standing hybrid objects can be enhanced by an external magnetic field, allowing also controlled rotation, despite the absence of ferromagnetic construction elements. These results illustrate the potential of 2D materials for designing, in synergy with magnetic fields, original enzyme-based energy conversion devices.