Zhu Hong, Xu Borui, Wang Yang, Pan Xiaoxia, Qu Zehua, Mei Yongfeng
Department of Materials Science, State Key Laboratory of ASIC and Systems, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, P. R. China.
Department of Macromolecular Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, P. R. China.
Sci Robot. 2021 Apr 14;6(53). doi: 10.1126/scirobotics.abe7925.
Hydrogels are an exciting class of materials for new and emerging robotics. For example, actuators based on hydrogels have impressive deformability and responsiveness. Studies into hydrogels with autonomous locomotive abilities, however, are limited. Existing hydrogels achieve locomotion through the application of cyclical stimuli or chemical modifications. Here, we report the fabrication of active hydrogels with an intrinsic ability to move on the surface of water without operated stimuli for up to 3.5 hours. The active hydrogels were composed of hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups and underwent a dynamic wetting process to achieve spatial and temporal control of surface tension asymmetry. Using surface tension, the homogeneous active hydrogels propelled themselves and showed controlled locomotion on water, similar to common water striders.
水凝胶是一类令人兴奋的材料，适用于新兴的机器人技术。例如，基于水凝胶的致动器具有令人印象深刻的可变形性和响应性。然而，对具有自主 locomotive 能力的水凝胶的研究有限。现有的水凝胶通过施加周期性刺激或化学修饰来实现 locomotion。在这里，我们报告了一种活性水凝胶的制备，该水凝胶具有在水表面自行移动长达3.5小时而无需外部刺激的内在能力。活性水凝胶由疏水和亲水基团组成，并经历动态润湿过程以实现表面张力不对称的时空控制。利用表面张力，均匀的活性水凝胶能够自我推进，并在水上表现出可控的 locomotion，类似于常见的水黾。
原文中“locomotive”可能有误，推测应该是“locomotion”（移动、运动），已按照推测翻译，若有误请根据实际情况调整。
