Researchers develop swarms of microrobots to combat microplastics and bacteria in water, aiming its restore natural balance.
The team linked positively charged polymer strands to magnetic microparticles, enabling movement solely in response to magnetic fields, to create the bots.To create the microrobots, the team connected strands of a positively charged polymer to magnetic microparticles, which respond solely to magnetic fields for movement.The small size of microplastics, measuring 5 millimeters or less, presents an additional facet to the plastic pollution dilemma.
According to researchers, it gets considerably more difficult to remove microplastics from rivers and oceans when they decompose from outdated food packaging, abandoned kid’s toys, and other poorly managed plastic debris. These microscopic pieces of plastic also draw germs, even pathogenic ones.Microbes and plastics are drawn to the polymer strands that emanate from the beads’ surface. Additionally, the completed items, or individual robots, had a diameter of 2.8 micrometers.
Subsequently, the microrobots were incorporated into the tank and subjected to a rotating magnetic field for half an hour, with 10-second intervals of on-and-off exposure.
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