Magnetically-controlled graphene-based micro-/nano-motor and fabrication method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11745160-B2
Application number	US-202217968960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2022
Priority date	Mar 28, 2022
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A method of fabricating a magnetically-controlled graphene-based micro-/nano-motor includes: (a) mixing FeCl 3 crystal powder with deionized water to obtain a FeCl 3 solution; (b) completely immersing a carbon-based microsphere in the FeCl 3 solution; transferring the carbon-based microsphere from the FeCl 3 solution followed by heating to allow crystallization of FeCl 3 on the surface of the carbon-based microsphere to obtain a FeCl 3 -carbon-based microsphere; (c) heating the FeCl 3 -carbon-based microsphere in a vacuum chamber until there is no moisture in the vacuum chamber; continuously removing gas in the vacuum chamber and introducing oxygen; and treating the FeCl 3 -carbon-based microsphere with a laser in an oxygen-enriched environment to obtain the magnetically controlled graphene-based micro-/nano-motor. A magnetically-controlled graphene-based micro-/nano-motor is further provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating a magnetically-controlled graphene-based micro-/nano-motor, comprising:
(a) mixing FeCl 3 crystal powder with deionized water to obtain a FeCl 3 solution;
(b) completely immersing a carbon-based microsphere in the FeCl 3 solution; and transferring the carbon-based microsphere from the FeCl 3 solution followed by heating to allow crystallization of FeCl 3 on the surface of the carbon-based microsphere, so as to obtain a FeCl 3 -carbon-based microsphere; and
(c) heating the FeCl 3 -carbon-based microsphere in a vacuum chamber until there is no moisture in the vacuum chamber; continuously pumping gas in the vacuum chamber away and introducing oxygen to create an oxygen-enriched environment in the vacuum chamber; and subjecting the FeCl 3 -carbon-based microsphere to laser processing with a laser in the oxygen-enriched environment to obtain the magnetically-controlled graphene-based micro-/nano-motor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step (a), a mass ratio of the FeCl 3 crystal powder to the deionized water is 1:(2˜4).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step (b), the carbon-based microsphere is polyimide microsphere and polyetherimide microsphere.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step (b), the heating is performed at 40-60° C.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step (c), when the gas in the vacuum chamber is pumped away to reach a vacuum degree of (4˜5)×10 −5 Torr, oxygen is introduced; and the gas in the vacuum chamber is continuously pumped away, and oxygen is continuously introduced such that a pressure in the vacuum chamber is maintained at (3.2˜4.2)×10 −5 Torr.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step (c), the laser emits an ultraviolet laser with a wavelength of 350˜360 nm and a power of 10˜15 W.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step (b) further comprises:
prior to immersing the carbon-based microsphere in the FeCl 3 solution, placing the carbon-based microsphere in a working area of a plasma cleaner, and introducing oxygen into the working area of the plasma cleaner to clean the carbon-based microsphere.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein an introduced oxygen pressure in the plasma cleaner is 0.1˜0.3 Nl/h, and the carbon-based microsphere is cleaned for 4˜6 min.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
(d) placing a metal target in a magnetron sputtering coating machine; and placing the magnetically-controlled graphene-based micro-/nano-motor in a coating area of the magnetron sputtering coating machine for coating;
wherein the metal target is a transition metal oxide, Pt, Ag or a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Univ Guangdong Technology

Inventors

• Chen Yun
• Guo Yuanhui
• Xie Bin
• Yan Lu
• Hou Maoxiang
• Chen Xin

Classifications

• B01J35/51

  Spheres · CPC title

• B01J20/0229 Primary

  Compounds of Fe · CPC title

• B01J20/205

  Carbon nanostructures, e.g. nanotubes, nanohorns, nanocones, nanoballs (carbon nanotubes per se C01B32/15) · CPC title

• B01J20/28009

  Magnetic properties · CPC title

• B01J20/3078

  Thermal treatment, e.g. calcining or pyrolizing · CPC title