Статья

Programmable nanocomposites of cellulose nanocrystals and zwitterionic hydrogels for soft robotics

Rasool NasseriDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, CanadaNegin BouzariDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, CanadaJunting HuangDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, CanadaH. GolzarDepartment of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, CanadaSarah JankhaniDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, CanadaXiaowu TangCentre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, CanadaTizazu H. MekonnenDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, CanadaAmirreza AghakhaniInstitute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems (IBBS), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569, Stuttgart, GermanyHamed ShahsavanCentre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada. [email protected]

2023en

ABI

Аннотация

Stimuli-responsive hydrogels have garnered significant attention as a versatile class of soft actuators. Introducing anisotropic properties, and shape-change programmability to responsive hydrogels promises a host of opportunities in the development of soft robots. Herein we report the synthesis of pH-responsive hydrogel nanocomposites with predetermined microstructural anisotropy, shape-transformation, and self-healing. Our hydrogel nanocomposites are largely composed of zwitterionic monomers and asymmetric cellulose nanocrystals. While the zwitterionic nature of the network imparts both self-healing and cytocompatibility to our hydrogel nanocomposites, the shear-induced alignment of cellulose nanocrystals renders their anisotropic swelling and mechanical properties. Thanks to the self-healing properties, we utilized a cut-and-paste approach to program reversible, and complex deformation into our hydrogels. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrated the transport of light cargo using tethered and untethered soft robots made from our hydrogels. We believe the proposed material system introduce a powerful toolbox for the development of future generations of biomedical soft robots.

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Идентификаторы

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41874-7

Цитирования и источники

Цитирований: 2Использованных источников: 0

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