Abstract A rotary F l F o ‐ATPase‐driven colloidal motor (RFCM) is reported capable of directional locomotion and on‐board ATP synthesis. The RFCMs are fabricated by hierarchical assembly of chloroplast‐derived F l F o ‐ATPase‐embedded thylakoid vesicles onto the single hole of silica‐polyelectrolyte capsules preloaded with the photoacid 2‐nitrobenzaldehyde. Upon UV illumination, proton release via photoisomerization establishes a transmembrane proton motive force across the ∼200 nm hole, powering continuous unidirectional rotation of the surface‐bound ATPases. This rotation propels the RFCMs forward at an average velocity of 3.05 µm s −1 , effectively mimicking the thrust of nanoscale submarines. Simultaneously, ATP is synthesized in situ and released into the surrounding environment. Notably, these RFCMs exhibit positive chemotaxis toward ADP/OH − gradients, resembling natural cellular behavior. This biomimetic propulsion platform integrates autonomous motion with on‐board localized energy production, offering a promising foundation for the development of multifunctional nanobots for biomedical and synthetic biology applications.
Zhang et al. (Sat,) studied this question.