Bio-Inspired Fast Actuation by Mechanical Instability of Thermoresponding Hydrogel Structures
Project Overview
Inspired by natural plants, thermoresponding hydrogel (TRH) structures have been designed to trigger mechanical instability with fast actuation. Tough Ca-alginate/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel has been synthesized by the hybrid of physically cross-linked alginate and covalently cross-linked PNIPAM. The tough Ca-alginate/PNIPAM hydrogel exhibits 30 kPa of elastic modulus, 280 J/m2 of fracture energies, and fivefold of uniaxial stretch. A multilayered structure made of (Ca-alginate/PNIPAM)/(Ca-alginate/poly (acrylamide)) hydrogels demonstrate fast actuation induced by mechanical instability.
