The development of effective autonomous micro- and nanomotors relies on controlling fluid motion at interfaces. One of the main challenges in the engineering of such artificial machines is the quest for efficient mechanisms to power them without using external driving forces. In the past decade, there has been an important increase of man-made micro- and nanomotors fueled by self-generated physicochemical gradients. Impressive proofs of concept of multitasking machines have been reported demonstrating their capabilities for a plethora of applications. While the progress toward applications is promising, there are still open questions on fundamental physicochemical aspects behind the mechanical actuation, which require more experimental and theoretical efforts. These efforts are not merely academic but will open the door for an efficient and practical implementation of such promising devices.

中文翻译：

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阐明带有微型泵的化学推进电动机的运行机理

有效的自主微型和纳米电动机的开发依赖于控制界面处的流体运动。在这种人造机器的工程设计中的主要挑战之一是寻求在不使用外部驱动力的情况下为它们提供动力的有效机构。在过去的十年中，由自生的物理化学梯度驱动的人造微型和纳米电动机有了重要的增长。据报道，多任务处理机的概念令人印象深刻，证明了其在众多应用中的能力。尽管在应用方面的进展是可喜的，但在机械促动背后的基本物理化学方面仍存在悬而未决的问题，这需要更多的实验和理论上的努力。