Hou Guodong, Zhang Xu, Du Feihong, Wu Yadong, Zhang Xing, Lei Zhijie, Lu Wei, Zhang Feiyu, Yang Guang, Wang Huamiao, Liu Zhenyu, Wang Rong, Ge Qi, Chen Jiangping, Meng Guang, Fang Nicholas X, Qian Xiaoshi
State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Engineering Science, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Nat Nanotechnol. 2024 Jan;19(1):77-84. doi: 10.1038/s41565-023-01490-4. Epub 2023 Aug 21.
Incorporating a negative feedback loop in a synthetic material to enable complex self-regulative behaviours akin to living organisms remains a design challenge. Here we show that a hydrogel-based vehicle can follow the directions of photonic illumination with directional regulation inside a constraint-free, fluidic space. By manipulating the customized photothermal nanoparticles and the microscale pores in the polymeric matrix, we achieved strong chemomechanical deformation of the soft material. The vehicle swiftly assumes an optimal pose and creates directional flow around itself, which it follows to achieve robust full-space phototaxis. In addition, this phototaxis enables a series of complex underwater locomotions. We demonstrate that this versatility is generated by the synergy of photothermofluidic interactions resulting in closed-loop self-control and fast reconfigurability. The untethered, electronics-free, ambient-powered hydrogel vehicle manoeuvres through obstacles agilely, following illumination cues of moderate intensities, similar to that of natural sunlight.
在合成材料中引入负反馈回路以实现类似于生物体的复杂自我调节行为仍然是一个设计挑战。在这里，我们展示了一种基于水凝胶的载体能够在无约束的流体空间内通过方向调节跟随光子照明的方向。通过操纵定制的光热纳米颗粒和聚合物基质中的微观孔隙，我们实现了软材料的强大化学机械变形。该载体迅速呈现出最佳姿态，并在自身周围产生定向流动，它沿着该流动实现强大的全空间光趋性。此外，这种光趋性还能实现一系列复杂的水下运动。我们证明，这种多功能性是由光热流体相互作用的协同作用产生的，从而导致闭环自我控制和快速可重构性。这种无需系绳、无电子设备、由环境供电的水凝胶载体能够灵活地在障碍物中穿梭，跟随中等强度的照明线索，类似于自然阳光。
