Microgel-Crosslinked Thermo-Responsive Hydrogel Actuators with High Mechanical Properties and Rapid Response
Yanyu Yang
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorYing Xiao
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorXiang Wu
Ningbo Medical Center Li Huili Hospital, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315000 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorJunjie Deng
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorRufang Wei
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorAshuang Liu
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorHaiyang Chai
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Rong Wang
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorYanyu Yang
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorYing Xiao
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorXiang Wu
Ningbo Medical Center Li Huili Hospital, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315000 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorJunjie Deng
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorRufang Wei
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorAshuang Liu
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorHaiyang Chai
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Rong Wang
Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300 P. R. China
Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201 P. R. China
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300 P. R. China
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Smart hydrogels responsive to external stimuli are promising for various applications such as soft robotics and smart devices. High mechanical strength and fast response rate are particularly important for the construction of hydrogel actuators. Herein, tough hydrogels with rapid response rates are synthesized using vinyl-functionalized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgels as macro-crosslinkers and N-isopropylacrylamide as monomers. The compression strength of the obtained PNIPAM hydrogels is up to 7.13 MPa. The response rate of the microgel-crosslinked hydrogels is significantly enhanced compared with conventional chemically crosslinked PNIPAM hydrogels. The mechanical strength and response rate of hydrogels can be adjusted by varying the proportion of monomers and crosslinkers. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the PNIPAM hydrogels could be tuned by copolymerizing with ionic monomer sodium methacrylate. Thermo-responsive bilayer hydrogels are fabricated using PINPAM hydrogels with different LCSTs via a layer-by-layer method. The thermo-responsive fast swelling and shrinking properties of the two layers endow the bilayer hydrogel with anisotropic structures and asymmetric response characteristics, allowing the hydrogel to respond rapidly. The bilayer hydrogels are fabricated into clamps to grab small objects and flowers that mimicked the closure of petals, and it shows great application prospects in the field of actuators.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| marc202300643-sup-0001-SuppMat.pdf705.1 KB | Supporting Information |
| marc202300643-sup-0002-MovieS1.mp419.6 MB | Supplemental Movie 1 |
| marc202300643-sup-0003-MovieS2.mp423.6 MB | Supplemental Movie 2 |
| marc202300643-sup-0004-MovieS3.mp424.2 MB | Supplemental Movie 3 |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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