Programming temporal shapeshifting

Xiaobo Hu, Jing Zhou, Mohammad Vatankhah-Varnosfaderani, William F. M. Daniel, Qiaoxi Li, Aleksandr P. Zhushma, Andrey V. Dobrynin () and Sergei S. Sheiko ()
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Xiaobo Hu: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jing Zhou: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Mohammad Vatankhah-Varnosfaderani: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
William F. M. Daniel: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Qiaoxi Li: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Aleksandr P. Zhushma: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Andrey V. Dobrynin: University of Akron
Sergei S. Sheiko: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Shapeshifting enables a wide range of engineering and biomedical applications, but until now transformations have required external triggers. This prerequisite limits viability in closed or inert systems and puts forward the challenge of developing materials with intrinsically encoded shape evolution. Herein we demonstrate programmable shape-memory materials that perform a sequence of encoded actuations under constant environment conditions without using an external trigger. We employ dual network hydrogels: in the first network, covalent crosslinks are introduced for elastic energy storage, and in the second one, temporary hydrogen-bonds regulate the energy release rate. Through strain-induced and time-dependent reorganization of the reversible hydrogen-bonds, this dual network allows for encoding both the rate and pathway of shape transformations on timescales from seconds to hours. This generic mechanism for programming trigger-free shapeshifting opens new ways to design autonomous actuators, drug-release systems and active implants.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12919

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