Utrera-Barrios S, Steenackers N, Terryn S, Ferrentino P, Verdejo R, Van Asche G, López-Manchado M A, Brancart J, Hernández Santana M
Institute of Polymer Science and Technology (ICTP), CSIC, Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
Physical Chemistry and Polymer Science (FYSC), Department of Materials and Chemistry (MACH), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Mater Horiz. 2024 Feb 6;11(3):708-725. doi: 10.1039/d3mh01312j.
In the field of soft robotics, current materials face challenges related to their load capacity, durability, and sustainability. Innovative solutions are required to address these problems beyond conventional strategies, which often lack long-term ecological viability. This study aims to overcome these limitations using mechanically robust, self-healing, and recyclable ionic elastomers based on carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR). The designed materials exhibited excellent mechanical properties, including tensile strengths (TS) exceeding 19 MPa and remarkable deformability, with maximum elongations (EB) over 650%. Moreover, these materials showed high self-healing capabilities, with 100% recovery efficiency of TS and EB at 110 °C after 3 to 5 h, and full recyclability, preserving their mechanical performance even after three recycling cycles. Furthermore, they were also moldable and readily scalable. Tendon-driven soft robotic grippers were successfully developed out of ionic elastomers, illustrating the potential of self-healing and recyclability in the field of soft robotics to reduce maintenance costs, increase material durability, and improve sustainability.
在软机器人技术领域，当前材料在承载能力、耐久性和可持续性方面面临挑战。需要创新解决方案来解决这些问题，超越传统策略，因为传统策略往往缺乏长期生态可行性。本研究旨在使用基于羧化丁腈橡胶（XNBR）的机械坚固、自修复和可回收的离子弹性体来克服这些限制。所设计的材料表现出优异的机械性能，包括拉伸强度（TS）超过19 MPa以及显著的可变形性，最大伸长率（EB）超过650%。此外，这些材料显示出高自修复能力，在110°C下3至5小时后，TS和EB的恢复效率达到100%，并且具有完全可回收性，即使经过三个回收循环仍能保持其机械性能。此外，它们还具有可模塑性且易于扩展。基于离子弹性体成功开发出了肌腱驱动的软机器人抓手，这说明了软机器人技术领域中自修复和可回收性在降低维护成本、提高材料耐久性以及改善可持续性方面的潜力。
