Zhou Jiayi, Zhang Yan, Zhang Ming, Yang Dongye, Huang Wenwei, Zheng Ao, Cao Lingyan
School of Material Science and Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, 201620, P. R. China.
Department of Prosthodontics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, P. R. China.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025 Jan;12(2):e2408161. doi: 10.1002/advs.202408161. Epub 2024 Nov 18.
Developing multifunctional materials that integrate self-propulsion and self-power generation is a significant challenge. This study introduces a high-performance MXene-chitosan composite hydrogel (CM) that successfully combines these functionalities. Utilizing Schiff base bond and hydrogen bond interactions, the CM hydrogel, composed of chitosan, vanillin, and MXene, achieves exceptional self-propulsion on water driven by Marangoni forces. The hydrogel demonstrates rapid movement, extended operation, and controllable trajectories. Notably, the CM hydrogel also exhibits superior degradability, recyclability, and repeatability. Furthermore, the nano-confined channels within the hydrogel play a crucial role in enhancing its water-enabled electricity generation (WEG) performance. By efficiently adsorbing water molecules and selectively transporting cations through these channels, the hydrogel can generate electricity from water molecules and cations more efficiently. As a result, the CM-WEG achieves a stable open-circuit voltage of up to 0.83 V and a short-circuit current of 0.107 mA on seawater, with further improvements in KCO-containing water, reaching 1.26 V and 0.922 mA. Leveraging its unique combination of self-propulsion and WEG functionalities, the CM hydrogel is successfully used for cargo delivery while simultaneously powering electronic devices. This research represents a significant step toward the development of self-powered, autonomous soft robotics, opening new research directions in the field.
开发集成自推进和自发电功能的多功能材料是一项重大挑战。本研究引入了一种高性能的MXene-壳聚糖复合水凝胶（CM），成功地将这些功能结合在一起。利用席夫碱键和氢键相互作用，由壳聚糖、香草醛和MXene组成的CM水凝胶在水表面实现了由马兰戈尼力驱动的卓越自推进。该水凝胶展示出快速移动、长时间运行和可控轨迹。值得注意的是，CM水凝胶还表现出优异的可降解性、可回收性和可重复性。此外，水凝胶内的纳米受限通道在增强其水致发电（WEG）性能方面起着关键作用。通过有效吸附水分子并选择性地通过这些通道传输阳离子，水凝胶能够更高效地从水分子和阳离子中发电。结果，CM-WEG在海水中实现了高达0.83 V的稳定开路电压和0.107 mA的短路电流，在含KCO的水中进一步提升，分别达到1.26 V和0.922 mA。利用其自推进和WEG功能的独特组合，CM水凝胶成功用于货物运输，同时为电子设备供电。这项研究代表了朝着自供电、自主软机器人技术发展迈出的重要一步，为该领域开辟了新的研究方向。
