Their approach relies on magnetically actuated living bacterial microrobots capable of performing nature-inspired three-dimensional (3D) swarm dynamics. The development was a collaboration between experts from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (FEI) and the CEET Nanotechnology Center at VŠB-TUO. The study was even featured on the journal’s front page.
Pollution from micro- and nanoplastics is recognized as a pressing global challenge. These particles infiltrate drinking water and food chains, accumulate in the human body, and present serious risks to ecosystems and public health. Despite their prevalence, effective remediation technologies for limiting micro- and nanoplastic pollution are still lacking. Addressing this issue is one of the scientific challenges currently being investigated by researchers at VŠB-TUO within the REFRESH project.
“We have developed magnetotactic bacterial microrobots (biobots) that combine autonomous propulsion with magnetically guided navigation. These biobots exhibit 3D collective swarming motion analogous to fish schooling, which enhances fluid mixing and enables active capture and removal of aquatic micro- and nanoplastics originating from commercial products. This synergy significantly improves their removal efficiency,” explained Martin Pumera, lead author of the study and head of the Advanced Nanorobots and Multiscale Robotics Lab at FEI, VŠB-TUO.
The biobots are based on Magnetospirillum magneticum, a bacterial strain that naturally biosynthesizes chains of magnetic nanoparticles within its cells. “These nanoparticles allow the bacteria to orient and migrate under a magnetic field and to be externally controlled or retrieved using a magnet. At the same time, the chemical and adhesive properties of the bacterial cell surface promote attachment to micro- and nanoplastic particles in water, which can then be magnetically collected. This makes them highly promising platforms for living microrobotic systems,” added Radek Zbořil, head of the Materials Envi Lab at VŠB-TUO and co-author of the project.
The findings of the Ostrava research team confirmed that magnetically driven biobot swarms are highly efficient in removing both model and real-world microplastics, demonstrating strong potential for application in advanced water purification technologies. Both scientific teams have been systematically addressing the issue of smart removal of toxic substances from the environment. Last year, they published a joint study in which they used solar-powered nanorobots for the removal of microplastics from water, controlling their motion through atomic engineering.