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Light- and humidity-driven fluorescence changeable soft robot enabled by water-gated photoinduced electron transfer pathway

基于光和湿度双重驱动软体机器人的荧光增强性水 检测器

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Abstract

Intelligent soft biomimetic materials have been one of the focuses of scientific research in recent years. However, designing and fabricating biomimetic devices with multiple functions and responses remains a considerable challenge. In this study, a light and humidity dual responsive soft actuator was prepared by incorporating light-sensitive liquid crystalline networks (LCNs) and hydrophilic poly(2-carboxyethyl acrylate-co-acrylic acid) (poly(2-CEA-co-AA)) layers. Upon ultraviolet light exposure, shape morphing of the azobenzene-crosslinked LCN matrix deformed the composite film. Moreover, changes in relative humidity (RH) caused the bilayer film to undergo another mode of shape transformation due to swelling and deswelling of the hydrophilic poly(2-CEA) layer. Further, the fluorescence intensity of the film increased concurrently due to the presence of doped water-sensitive fluorescence molecules. Herein, this novel bimorph actuator demonstrated potential in the fabrication of intelligent soft robots because of the integration of dual responsiveness and synergistic behaviors. Hence, a light-directed smart walker was created through systematic design. The walker could detect water and adjust its motion and fluorescence intensity, demonstrating the practical application potential in the development of multifunctional soft robots capable of recognizing, responding, and self-adjusting.

摘要

智能仿生软材料是近年来科学研究的重点之一. 液晶高分子材 料是众多软材料中最有发展潜力的材料之一. 目前通过液晶高分子材 料制备具有复杂功能和多种响应的仿生器件主要通过两种方法, 其一 是引入多种响应性基团, 赋予材料多重响应. 另一个是构建单一刺激下 具有变形变色协同功能的材料. 然而, 结合这两种策略, 构建既具有多 重刺激响应, 又能协同变形变色的新型液晶高分子仍然是一个挑战. 为 此, 本工作通过结合光响应性液晶网络和亲水的聚(2-羧乙基丙烯酸酯 共丙烯酸)层(PC), 制备了一种光和湿度双重响应的软驱动器. 在紫外 光的驱动下, 偶氮苯的分子异构驱动复合薄膜的各向异性形变. 环境湿 度的变化能使亲水的PC层发生溶胀和脱水, 使薄膜发生另一模式的形 变. 由于薄膜内部荧光分子与水分子的协同作用, PC膜的荧光强度增 强. 由于整合了双重响应性和协同行为, 这种新型的双响应驱动器在制 造智能软体机器人方面具有较大的潜力. 通过合理的设计, 我们制备了 一个光驱动的智能软体机器人. 该机器人表现出检测水、改变运动模 式和荧光强度的能力, 在构筑具有识别、响应和自我调整能力的多功 能软体机器人方面具有实际应用潜力.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51927806, 51921002, 51903004 and 52202081), the National Natural Science Foundation of China Joint Fund (U22A20163), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project (BX2021003 and 2022M720206).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Zizheng Wang  (王子正), Jinying Bao  (保金映), Jian Sun  (孙健), Ruochen Lan  (兰若尘), Lanying Zhang  (张兰英) & Huai Yang  (杨槐)

  2. Institute of Advanced Materials, Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China

    Ruochen Lan  (兰若尘)

  3. School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Rui Huang  (黄睿)

  4. Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China

    Chenjie Song  (宋晨捷)

  5. China National Machinery Industry Corporation (Sinomach), Beijing, 100080, China

    Chen Shen  (申晨)

  6. Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Zizheng Wang  (王子正), Jinying Bao  (保金映), Jian Sun  (孙健), Ruochen Lan  (兰若尘), Lanying Zhang  (张兰英) & Huai Yang  (杨槐)

Authors
  1. Zizheng Wang  (王子正)
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  2. Jinying Bao  (保金映)
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  3. Rui Huang  (黄睿)
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  4. Chenjie Song  (宋晨捷)
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  5. Chen Shen  (申晨)
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  6. Jian Sun  (孙健)
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  7. Ruochen Lan  (兰若尘)
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  8. Lanying Zhang  (张兰英)
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  9. Huai Yang  (杨槐)
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Contributions

Wang Z, Lan R, Zhang L and Yang H designed the research. Wang Z, Song C, Huang R, Bao J, and Shen C prepared the samples and conducted the measurements by POM, SEM, EDS and ATR-FTIR. Lan R, Yang H and Zhang L provided acquisition of the financial support. Wang Z and Lan R wrote the manuscript, with contributions from the other authors. Yang H, Lan R and Zhang L guided the projects. All authors have given approval for the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ruochen Lan  (兰若尘), Lanying Zhang  (张兰英) or Huai Yang  (杨槐).

Additional information

Supplementary information

Supporting data are available in the online version of the paper.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Zizheng Wang is a PhD candidate in the group of Prof. Huai Yang at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University (PKU). He graduated from the School of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering at Dalian University of Technology (DUT) and got a Bachelor’s degree in 2020. Now, he is mainly engaged in the research of humidity-induced properties of liquid crystalline polymers, bionic soft robots, stimuli-responsive actuators and multifunctional photonic crystalline materials.

Ruochen Lan received his BS degree from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University in 2016. He received his PhD degree from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at PKU in 2021 and continued his research at PKU as a postdoctoral research fellow. His research interests focus on the synthesis of photoresponsive molecular machines, design of functional polymer materials, and fabrication of dynamic photonic crystals.

Lanying Zhang received her PhD degree from the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, PKU in 2011. Then she worked as a senior engineer successively at the College of Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, PKU. Her research interests include functional anti-counterfeiting liquid crystal materials, polymer composite materials for display and building energy saving.

Huai Yang is currently a professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, PKU. He received his PhD degree in engineering from Kyushu University in Japan, where he successively served as a visiting research fellow at the Faculty of Engineering. He was a research fellow at Fukuoka Industry, Science and Technology Foundation, as well as the Science and Technology Corporation in Japan (1996–2003). His research interests focus on liquid crystal/polymer composite materials, stimuli-responsive liquid crystalline polymers and smart windows.

Supplementary information

40843_2022_2391_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Light- and humidity-driven fluorescence changeable soft robot enabled by water-gated photoinduced electron transfer pathway

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Wang, Z., Bao, J., Huang, R. et al. Light- and humidity-driven fluorescence changeable soft robot enabled by water-gated photoinduced electron transfer pathway. Sci. China Mater. 66, 2445–2453 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-022-2391-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-022-2391-3

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