4.6 Review

Light-Driven Actuation in Synthetic Polymers: A Review from Fundamental Concepts to Applications

Journal

ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
Volume 10, Issue 10, Pages -

Publisher

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/adom.202102186

Keywords

polymer actuators; artificial muscles; carbon nanotubes; functional textiles; hydrogels; light-driven actuation; liquid-crystals

Funding

  1. Queen Mary University of London
  2. Pakistan Higher Education Commission

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Light-driven actuation of synthetic polymers has great potential in various applications. This comprehensive review focuses on the scientific and fundamental aspects of these materials, including their mechanisms, parameters, and properties.
Light-driven actuation of synthetic polymers is an emerging field of interest because it offers simple remote addressing without complicated hydraulic, electric, or magnetic systems. Reviews on this area predominantly emphasize on the development of mechanical motions like bending, twisting, folding, etc. However, the scientific and fundamental aspects of these materials are critical in order to expand applications and industrial relevance. Polymer actuators driven by light, not only comprise soft actuators (large deformations at low stress) but also include stiff actuators (high actuation stress at low strain). Synthetic polymeric materials with photo-responsive additives together with underlying mechanisms, processing parameters, and final properties are required to broaden the scope of the field. In particular, parameters like actuation stress, actuation strain, and work capacity have been given limited attention in the past and are discussed extensively. This work gives a comprehensive critical review on all light-driven synthetic polymer actuators, their actuating mechanisms, and materials. A holistic perspective together with an insight into future prospects can lead academia and industry toward future innovations and applications of these exciting functional materials.

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