Bioinspired Soft Microactuators

Zhu, Pingan1,2,3; Chen, Rifei1,4; Zhou, Chunmei1,3; Aizenberg, Michael2; Aizenberg, Joanna2,5; Wang, Liqiu1,3

2021-04-01

10.1002/adma.202008558

ADVANCED MATERIALS   影响因子和分区

0935-9648

1521-4095

Soft actuators have the potential of revolutionizing the field of robotics. However, it has been a long-standing challenge to achieve simultaneously: i) miniaturization of soft actuators, ii) high contrast between materials properties at their "on" and "off" states, iii) significant actuation for high-payload mechanical work, and iv) ability to perform diverse shape transformations. This challenge is addressed by synergistically utilizing structural concepts found in the dermis of sea cucumbers and the tendrils of climbing plants, together with microfluidic fabrication to create diatomite-laden hygroscopically responsive fibers with a discontinuous ribbon of stiff, asymmetrically shaped, and hygroscopically inactive microparticles embedded inside. The microactuators can undergo various deformations and have very high property contrast ratios (20-850 for various mechanical characteristics of interest) between hydrated and dehydrated states. The resulting energy density, actuation strain, and actuation stress are shown to exceed those of natural muscle by approximate to 4, >2, and >30 times, respectively, and their weight-lifting ratio is 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than the value of recent hygroscopic actuators. This work offers a new and general way to design and fabricate next-generation soft microactuators, and thus advances the field of soft robotics by tailoring the structure and properties of deformable elements to suit a desired application.

bioinspiration high property contrast hygroscopic materials microactuators programmable materials actuation

SCI ; EI

英语

NI论文

其他

Research Grants Council of Hong Kong["GRF 17204420",17210319,17204718,17237316,"CRF C1006-20WF","C1018-17G"] ; Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences[DE-SC0005247]

Chemistry ; Science & Technology - Other Topics ; Materials Science ; Physics

Chemistry, Multidisciplinary ; Chemistry, Physical ; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology ; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary ; Physics, Applied ; Physics, Condensed Matter

WOS:000640543800001

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

20211610234478

Deformation ; Mechanical actuators ; Microactuators ; Robotics

Robotics:731.5 ; Control Equipment:732.1

MATERIALS SCIENCE

Web of Science

1.Univ Hong Kong, Dept Mech Engn, Hong Kong 999077, Peoples R China
2.Harvard Univ, John A Paulson Sch Engn & Appl Sci, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
3.HKU Zhejiang Inst Res & Innovat HKU ZIRI, Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang, Peoples R China
4.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China
5.Harvard Univ, Dept Chem & Chem Biol, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA

Zhu, Pingan,Chen, Rifei,Zhou, Chunmei,et al. Bioinspired Soft Microactuators[J]. ADVANCED MATERIALS,2021,33.

Zhu, Pingan,Chen, Rifei,Zhou, Chunmei,Aizenberg, Michael,Aizenberg, Joanna,&Wang, Liqiu.(2021).Bioinspired Soft Microactuators.ADVANCED MATERIALS,33.

Zhu, Pingan,et al."Bioinspired Soft Microactuators".ADVANCED MATERIALS 33(2021).