Abstract
A crucial component in designing soft actuating structures with controllable shape changes is programming internal, mismatching stresses. In this work, we demonstrate a new paradigm for achieving anisotropic dynamics between isotropic end-states --- yielding a non-reciprocal shrinking/swelling response over a full actuation cycle --- in a microscale actuator made of a single material, purely through microscale design. Anisotropic dynamics is achieved by incorporating micro-sized pores into certain segments of the structures; by arranging porous and non-porous segments (specifically, struts) into a two-dimensional hexagonally-shaped microscopic poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) hydrogel particle, the rate of isotropic shrinking/swelling in the structure is locally modulated, generating global anisotropic, non-reciprocal, dynamics. A simple mathematical model is introduced that reveals the physics that underlies these dynamics. Our design has the potential to be used as a foundational tool for inducing non-reciprocal actuation cycles with a single material structure, and enables new possibilities in producing customized soft actuators and modular anisotropic metamaterials for a range of real-world applications, such as artificial cilia.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 2200842 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Macromolecular Rapid Communications |
Volume | 2022 |
Early online date | 14 Dec 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 25 Dec 2022 |
Keywords
- Hydrogel
- Soft robot
- Asymmetric
- Non-reciprocal
- In-plane anisotropy
- soft robots
- in‐plane anisotropy
- non‐reciprocity
- hydrogels
- micro‐actuators
- Research Articles
- asymmetric
- Research Article