Journal
NATURE MATERIALS
Volume 19, Issue 8, Pages 900-+Publisher
NATURE RESEARCH
DOI: 10.1038/s41563-020-0707-7
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Funding
- Center for Bio-Inspired Energy Science (CBES), an Energy Frontiers Research Center (EFRC) - US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences [DE-SC0000989]
- Beatriu de Pinos Fellowship [2014 BP-A 00007]
- Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) [PVA17_RF_0008]
- Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource [NSF ECCS-1542205]
- Simpson Querrey Institute
- Northwestern University Office for Research
- US Army Research Office
- US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command
- MRSEC Program at the Materials Research Center [NSF DMR-1720139]
- International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN)
- Keck Foundation
- State of Illinois, through the IIN
- State of Illinois, through the MRI program [NSF DMR-1229693]
- MRSEC Program of the Materials Research Center at Northwestern University [NSF DMR-1720139]
- NIH [1S10OD012016-01/1S10RR019071-01A1]
- State of Illinois
- Northwestern University
- Dow Chemical Company
- DuPont de Nemours, Inc.
- DOE Office of Science [DE-AC02-06CH11357]
- National Science Foundation [0960140]
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Peptide amphiphile supramolecular polymers with a crosslinked spiropyran network respond to light by expelling water, enabling the fabrication of soft actuators or light-driven crawlers. The development of synthetic structures that mimic mechanical actuation in living matter such as autonomous translation and shape changes remains a grand challenge for materials science. In living systems the integration of supramolecular structures and covalent polymers contributes to the responsive behaviour of membranes, muscles and tendons, among others. Here we describe hybrid light-responsive soft materials composed of peptide amphiphile supramolecular polymers chemically bonded to spiropyran-based networks that expel water in response to visible light. The supramolecular polymers form a reversibly deformable and water-draining skeleton that mechanically reinforces the hybrid and can also be aligned by printing methods. The noncovalent skeleton embedded in the network thus enables faster bending and flattening actuation of objects, as well as longer steps during the light-driven crawling motion of macroscopic films. Our work suggests that hybrid bonding polymers, which integrate supramolecular assemblies and covalent networks, offer strategies for the bottom-up design of soft matter that mimics living organisms.
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