Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
J Mater Chem B. 2019 Mar 14;7(10):1674-1678. doi: 10.1039/c8tb02896f. Epub 2018 Dec 11.
Self-shaping hydrogels have received increasing attention due to their promising applications in soft robotics and biomedical fields. Here we report the fabrication of photo- and thermo-responsive composite hydrogels with heterogeneous structures and corresponding programmed deformations under stimulation. These composite gels were developed by photolithographic polymerization to form patterned non-responsive polyacrylamide gels and then thermal polymerization to form responsive poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) gels containing photo-thermal agents in the interspace between the preformed non-responsive gels. Upon heating or near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, the composite hydrogels with heterogeneous structures showed programmed bending, folding, and twisting deformations. Localized actuation or step-wise deformations were achieved by selective or sequential irradiations of NIR light on the specific regions of the composite hydrogels. This strategy should be suitable for other photo-responsive hydrogels with potential applications in diverse fields.
自塑形水凝胶因其在软机器人和生物医学领域的应用前景而受到越来越多的关注。在这里，我们报道了具有异质结构的光热响应复合水凝胶的制备，并在刺激下实现了相应的程序化变形。这些复合凝胶是通过光刻聚合形成图案化的非响应性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶，然后通过热聚合形成含有光热剂的响应性聚（N-异丙基丙烯酰胺）凝胶，在预形成的非响应性凝胶之间的间隔中形成。在加热或近红外（NIR）光照射下，具有异质结构的复合水凝胶表现出程序化的弯曲、折叠和扭曲变形。通过选择性或顺序照射 NIR 光到复合水凝胶的特定区域，可以实现局部驱动或逐步变形。该策略应适用于其他具有潜在应用的光响应水凝胶。
