Programmable Construction of Asymmetric Polymeric Semiconductor Nanorobots for Active Antibacterial and Synergistic Therapy

Light-driven micro/nanorobots require semiconductor materials
with
efficient light harvesting and well-defined structural asymmetry to
achieve high-performance propulsion. However, most reported systems
rely on inorganic semiconductors with rigid band structures and limited
stability, while polymeric semiconductors have been restricted by
the lack of controllable asymmetric architectures. Here, we report
a kinetically programmed one-pot strategy for constructing asymmetric
polymeric semiconductor nanorobots with tunable island architectures.
By regulating interfacial free energy and competitive nucleation kinetics,
mesoporous aminophenol-formaldehyde resin/silica Janus nanoparticles
with single-, dual-, and multi-island configurations are precisely
synthesized. The resulting asymmetric nanostructures support synergistic
light- and fuel-driven self-diffusiophoretic propulsion, allowing
programmable motion behaviors. Benefiting from the autonomous motion
and photocatalytic activity, the polymeric semiconductor nanorobots
exhibit enhanced interaction with bacteria, deep biofilm penetration,
and efficient diffusion of reactive oxygen species. This work establishes
a general strategy for asymmetric polymeric semiconductor construction
and highlights its potential in active antimicrobial and wound-healing
nanomedicine.