Sustainable Elastomers for Actuators: Green Synthetic Approaches and Material Properties

Elastomeric materials have great application potential in actuator design and soft robot development. The most common elastomers used for these purposes are polyurethanes, silicones, and acrylic elastomers due to their outstanding physical, mechanical, and electrical properties. Currently, these types of polymers are produced by traditional synthetic methods, which may be harmful to the environment and hazardous to human health. The development of new synthetic routes using green chemistry principles is an important step to reduce the ecological footprint and create more sustainable biocompatible materials. Another promising trend is the synthesis of other types of elastomers from renewable bioresources, such as terpenes, lignin, chitin, various bio-oils, etc. The aim of this review is to address existing approaches to the synthesis of elastomers using green chemistry methods, compare the properties of sustainable elastomers with the properties of materials produced by traditional methods, and analyze the feasibility of said sustainable elastomers for the development of actuators. Finally, the advantages and challenges of existing green methods of elastomer synthesis will be summarized, along with an estimation of future development prospects.

Automated summary

Elastomeric materials, such as polyurethanes, silicones, and acrylic elastomers, are commonly used in actuator design and soft robot development due to their outstanding properties. However, conventional synthetic methods used to produce these materials may have negative environmental and health impacts. Therefore, the development of new synthetic routes using green chemistry principles and the synthesis of elastomers from renewable bioresources are important steps towards creating sustainable and biocompatible materials. This review aims to address existing approaches to green synthesis of elastomers, compare their properties with traditional materials, and analyze their feasibility for actuators. Moreover, it discusses the advantages, challenges, and future prospects of green elastomer synthesis.