Oral Presentation Royal Australian Chemical Institute National Congress 2026

Navigating Biological and Environmental Barriers with Self-Propelled Nanoswimmers (137068)

Kang Liang 1
  1. The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Nanoswimmers are nano-devices that can convert energy into mechanical force to achieve self-propulsion. Compared to ordinary nanoparticles, the driving force of nanoswimmer is their unique advantage. This driving force enables controllable and autonomous movement with defined direction and speed, allowing nanoswimmers to perform more complex functions.

The applications of nanoswimmers in nanomedicine and environmental sustainability are a new and exciting area of research, which promises to solve many of the issues encountered by previous development of passive nanoparticles. In this talk, I will highlight some of our recent efforts in the design and engineering of biocatalytic nanoswimmers through reticular chemistry. By advancing a fundamental understanding of the molecular-level interactions between the soft biocatalysts and functional matrices, we have engineered self-propelled nano-bio systems with predictable and tuneable physical and chemical properties to address unmet practical challenges.