Dual-responsive and bidirectional bending actuators based on a graphene oxide composite for bionic soft robotics

Intelligent actuators have become a research hotspot in smart materials in recent years due to their diverse modes of actuation, various types of deformation, and wide range of applications. However, the application fields of the traditional bilayer actuator that can only be driven by a single stimulus are greatly limited. Hence, it is necessary to develop multiresponsive actuators to broaden the application fields of the actuators. Here, we propose dual-responsive and bidirectional bending actuators based on a composite of graphene oxide (GO) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The actuator is made by vacuum filtration of GO film and hot-press of PET film. Due to the hygroexpansion effect, the GO/PET actuator can be driven by humidity. Benefitting from the ability of the light-to-thermal conversion and the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the GO and PET, the GO/PET actuator can be driven by light. Moreover, three types of demo models (including bionic flower, smart gripper, and bionic worm robot) based on the actuator have been proposed to verify the potential of the actuator in practical applications. These demo models show that the actuators have great potential to be used in the fields of intelligent robots.

Automated summary

Intelligent actuators have become a research hotspot in the field of smart materials due to their diverse actuation modes, various deformation types, and wide applications. This study proposes dual-responsive and bidirectional bending actuators that can be driven by humidity and light, and demonstrates their potential in intelligent robotics through three demo models.