Programmable nanocomposites of cellulose nanocrystals and zwitterionic hydrogels for soft robotics

Rasool Nasseri, Negin Bouzari, Junting Huang, Hossein Golzar, Sarah Jankhani, Xiaowu (Shirley) Tang, Tizazu H. Mekonnen, Amirreza Aghakhani and Hamed Shahsavan ()
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Rasool Nasseri: University of Waterloo
Negin Bouzari: University of Waterloo
Junting Huang: University of Waterloo
Hossein Golzar: University of Waterloo
Sarah Jankhani: University of Waterloo
Xiaowu (Shirley) Tang: University of Waterloo
Tizazu H. Mekonnen: University of Waterloo
Amirreza Aghakhani: University of Stuttgart
Hamed Shahsavan: University of Waterloo

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract 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.

Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-41874-7

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41874-7

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