South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Nat Nanotechnol. 2022 Jul;17(7):752-758. doi: 10.1038/s41565-022-01133-0. Epub 2022 Jun 2.
High-performance actuating materials are necessary for advances in robotics, prosthetics and smart clothing. Here we report a class of fibre actuators that combine solution-phase block copolymer self-assembly and strain-programmed crystallization. The actuators consist of highly aligned nanoscale structures with alternating crystalline and amorphous domains, resembling the ordered and striated pattern of mammalian skeletal muscle. The reported nanostructured block copolymer muscles excel in several aspects compared with current actuators, including efficiency (75.5%), actuation strain (80%) and mechanical properties (for example, strain-at-break of up to 900% and toughness of up to 121.2 MJ m). The fibres exhibit on/off rotary actuation with a peak rotational speed of 450 r.p.m. Furthermore, the reported fibres demonstrate multi-trigger actuation (heat and hydration), offering switchable mechanical properties and various operating modes. The versatility and recyclability of the polymer fibres, combined with the facile fabrication method, opens new avenues for creating multifunctional and recyclable actuators using block copolymers.
高性能致动材料对于机器人技术、假肢和智能服装的发展是必要的。在这里，我们报告了一类纤维致动器，它结合了溶液相嵌段共聚物自组装和应变编程结晶。这些致动器由高度取向的纳米结构组成，具有交替的结晶和非晶区，类似于哺乳动物骨骼肌的有序条纹图案。与目前的致动器相比，所报道的纳米结构嵌段共聚物肌肉在几个方面表现出色，包括效率（75.5%）、致动应变（80%）和机械性能（例如，断裂应变高达 900%，韧性高达 121.2 MJ m）。这些纤维表现出开/关旋转致动，峰值旋转速度为 450 r.p.m。此外，所报道的纤维表现出多触发致动（热和水合作用），提供可切换的机械性能和各种操作模式。聚合物纤维的多功能性和可回收性，加上简单的制造方法，为使用嵌段共聚物创建多功能和可回收致动器开辟了新途径。
