Xu Zhao, Wei Dun-Wen, Bao Rui-Ying, Wang Yu, Ke Kai, Yang Ming-Bo, Yang Wei
College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China.
School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, Sichuan, China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022 May 18;14(19):22521-22530. doi: 10.1021/acsami.2c07119. Epub 2022 May 6.
Soft actuators with integrated mechanical and actuation properties and self-sensing ability are still a challenge. Herein, a stiffness variable polyolefin elastomer (POE) with a reversible shape memory effect is prepared by introducing a typical phase change material, i.e., paraffin wax (PW). It is found that the variable stiffness of POE induced by PW can balance the reversible strain and load-bearing capability of actuators. Especially, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are concentrated in a thin surface layer by spraying and hot pressing in the soft state of POE/PW blends, providing signal transductions for the strain and temperature perception for actuators. Taking advantage of tunable reversible deformation and mechanical transformation of the POE/PW actuator, different biomimetic robotics, including grippers with high load-bearing capability (weight-lifting ratio > 146), walking robots that can sense angles of joints, and high-temperature warning robots are demonstrated. A scheme combining the variable stiffness and electrical properties provides a versatile strategy to integrate actuation performance and self-sensing ability, inspiring the development of multifunctional composite designs for soft robotics.
兼具集成机械与驱动性能以及自感知能力的软驱动器仍是一项挑战。在此，通过引入典型的相变材料即石蜡（PW），制备了一种具有可逆形状记忆效应的可变刚度聚烯烃弹性体（POE）。研究发现，PW引起的POE可变刚度能够平衡驱动器的可逆应变和承载能力。特别是，通过在POE/PW共混物的软态下进行喷涂和热压，碳纳米管（CNT）集中在一个薄表面层中，为驱动器的应变和温度感知提供信号传导。利用POE/PW驱动器可调节的可逆变形和机械转变，展示了不同的仿生机器人，包括具有高承载能力的夹爪（举重比>146）、能够感知关节角度的步行机器人以及高温预警机器人。一种结合可变刚度和电学特性的方案提供了一种通用策略，以整合驱动性能和自感知能力，激发了用于软机器人的多功能复合材料设计的发展。
