Soft Materials Driven by Photothermal Effect and Their Applications

Remote driving of functional hybrid soft materials for various applications is emerging as an enabling pursuit. Toward this end, soft materials driven by photothermal agents have been attracting tremendous attention from both fundamental science and technological applications points of view. These stimuli-responsive materials combine the beneficial attributes of both classes of promising materials, i.e., soft materials and photothermal agents. Both inorganic and organic photothermal agents have been incorporated into the matrices of soft materials. Metal nanoparticles, carbon nanomaterials, and organic photothermal agents have been impregnated into the matrices of liquid crystals, polymers, and gels that can be remotely driven by light irradiation. In this review, the remote driving of functional hybrid soft materials and their various applications are discussed. Photothermal functional nanocomposites are demonstrated to act as actuators, therapeutic agents, drug delivery systems, microvalves, etc. Smart and adaptive systems are realized by dispersing photothermal agents into soft matter matrices. Challenges and opportunities in this fascinating frontier are outlined.