Asymmetrical Bullet-Shaped imprinted nanomotors for enhanced selective Pb(II) Removal: On-the-Move recognition and Capturing

Conventional heavy metal adsorbents are limited by passive mass transfer mechanisms that constrain separation efficiency in practical applications. Herein, we report a novel approach integrating autonomous nanomotor propulsion with selective molecular recognition for enhanced Pb(II) removal. Bullet-shaped Janus nanomotor adsorbents (JSNMs@IIPs) were synthesized through asymmetric emulsion templating, featuring silver nanoparticle-catalyzed propulsion chambers and ion-imprinted polymer recognition shells. Under H 2 O 2 fuel (10.0 wt%), JSNMs@IIPs exhibited controlled autonomous motion (23.1μm s −1 ) that delivered significant kinetic enhancement with 265 % faster adsorption rates compared to static systems. The JSNMs@IIPs achieved maximum Pb(II) adsorption capacity (158.5 mg g −1 at 318 K) while maintaining high selectivity (k = 16.8–61.3) against competing metal ions and excellent regenerability (93 % capacity retention over seven cycles). XPS analysis revealed coordination-based adsorption through Pb-N interaction formation within pre-organized imprinted cavities, while autonomous motion enhanced mass transfer through active convection. This work establishes motion-enhanced molecular recognition for advanced separation technologies, demonstrating that nanomotor propulsion can simultaneously improve kinetics and maintain selectivity in complex separation challenges.