Journal
MATERIALS HORIZONS
Volume 8, Issue 5, Pages 1538-1546Publisher
ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY
DOI: 10.1039/d1mh00234a
Keywords
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Funding
- National Key Research and Development Program of China [2019YFE0119600, 2017YFB0307001]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [51973093, U1533122, 51773094]
- Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin [18JCZDJC36800]
- National Special Support Plan for High-level Talents People [C041800902]
- Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of Tianjin [18JCJQJC46600]
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [63171219]
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Donghua University [LK1704]
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In this study, novel tether-free hygroresponsive tensile and torsional fiber artificial muscles were prepared using disulfide cross-linking, showing different types of actuations and achieving high energy density when exposed to water fog.
Tensile and torsional artificial muscles from biocompatible and biodegradable materials are highly desired for soft robotics, sensors, and controllers in bio-related applications. Twisted fibers can be used to prepare tensile and torsional artificial muscles, while torsional tethering is always required to avoid release of the inserted twist, which adds complexity to the device design. Moreover, the tuning of the reversibility of twisted fiber artificial muscles has not been realized. Here disulfide cross-linking was used to prepare novel tether-free hygroresponsive tensile and torsional fiber artificial muscles in twisted hair fibers. Increasing the cross-linking level converted the fiber artificial muscle from irreversible to reversible actuation. Different types of actuations including rotation, contraction, and elongation were realized for the twisted, the homochirally coiled, and the heterochirally coiled hair fibers, respectively. A reversible torsional fiber artificial muscle showed 122.4 degrees mm(-1) rotation, homochiral and heterochiral fiber artificial muscles showed 94% contraction and 3000% elongation, respectively, and a maximum work capacity and energy density of 6.35 J kg(-1) and 69.8 kJ m(-3), respectively, were realized, on exposure to water fog. This work provides a new strategy for preserving the inserted twist in bio-fiber artificial muscles and for tuning of muscle reversibility, which show application perspectives in biocompatible smart materials, sensors, and robotics.
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