Corrosion due to ageing influences the performance of tubular platinum microrobots

Autonomous self-propelled nano and microrobots are in the forefront of materials research. The micro-machines are typically prepared in batches, stored and subsequently used. We show here that the storage of platinum tubular catalytic microrobots in water causes their corrosion which results in their lower mobility and performance. This has important implications for the construction and storage of these autonomous micromotors.