Magnetically actuated miniature bamboo-fiber robots for antibiotic removal from water.

Authors

Bangyu Liu, Lian Weng, Gaocheng Zhan, Jiawei Cong, Gongwei Hu, Yiman Liu, Min Liu

Published in

iScience. Volume 29. Issue 8. Pages 117067. Aug 21, 2026. Epub Aug 03, 2026.

Abstract

Antibiotic contamination in aquatic environments threatens ecosystem health and water security; yet, efficient, recyclable, and environmentally benign removal remains challenging. Here, a magnetically actuated miniature bamboo-fiber robot (MBFR), functionalized with a porous chitin foam, is demonstrated for antibiotic removal from complex water matrices. Bamboo and chitin afford biodegradability and facile fabrication, while Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles enable fuel-free magnetic actuation, directional propulsion, and magnetic retrieval. The chitin foam provides abundant binding sites for broad-spectrum antibiotic capture through cooperative noncovalent interactions. Magnetic actuation accelerates interfacial mass transfer, with maximum adsorption capacities of 435.60 mg/g for norfloxacin (NOR) and 391.69 mg/g for oxytetracycline (OTC). After 20 adsorption-desorption cycles in natural-water matrices, MBFRs retained over 90% NOR removal and remained effective under representative matrix interferences. This work may open up prospects for functional biomass-derived robots in the active and recyclable remediation of antibiotic-contaminated waters.

PMID:
42568946
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Aug 2026.

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