College of Materials Science and Engineering , Guizhou Minzu University , Guiyang 550025 , China.
CSIRO Manufacturing , 75 Pigdons Road , Waurn Ponds , Victoria 3216 , Australia.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2018 Sep 26;10(38):32256-32264. doi: 10.1021/acsami.8b12144. Epub 2018 Sep 13.
Miniature linear actuators, also known as artificial muscles, mimic the contractile action of skeletal muscles and have potentials in applications, such as soft robotics, prosthetics, exoskeletons, and smart textiles. Natural fibers commonly used in textiles, such as wool, cotton, and flax, are highly anisotropic materials in response to moisture stimulus. Here, we report that this anisotropic property of the natural fibers can be utilized to provide musclelike contractile motions when they are constructed into springlike cylindrical coils by twist insertion. The treatment and conversion of these natural fibers into high-performance musclelike actuators are described. The musclelike actuators made from natural fibers can provide output strain, stress, and work capacity that are orders of magnitude higher than those of animal skeletal muscles and many artificial muscles made from synthetic materials. The natural fiber artificial muscles are demonstrated for potential applications in smart textiles to alleviate body discomfort caused by sweating during sports and other physical activities.
微型线性致动器，也称为人造肌肉，模仿骨骼肌的收缩作用，在软机器人、假肢、外骨骼和智能纺织品等应用中具有潜力。天然纤维通常用于纺织品，如羊毛、棉花和亚麻，是对湿度刺激具有各向异性的材料。在这里，我们报告说，当天然纤维通过扭转插入构建成弹簧状圆柱形线圈时，这种各向异性特性可以用来提供类似肌肉的收缩运动。描述了将这些天然纤维处理和转化为高性能类似肌肉的致动器的过程。由天然纤维制成的类似肌肉的致动器可以提供比动物骨骼肌和许多由合成材料制成的人造肌肉高出几个数量级的输出应变、应力和工作能力。天然纤维人造肌肉可用于智能纺织品，以缓解运动和其他身体活动中出汗引起的身体不适。
