Designing Dual-functionalized Gels for Self-reconfiguration and Autonomous Motion

Journal Article · Thu Apr 30 04:00:00 UTC 2015 · Scientific Reports

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/srep09569 · OSTI ID:1184794

Kuksenok, Olga ^[1]; Balazs, Anna C. ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Chemical Engineering Dept.; None
2. Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Chemical Engineering Dept.

Human motion is enabled by the concerted expansion and contraction of interconnected muscles that are powered by inherent biochemical reactions. One of the challenges in the field of biomimicry is eliciting this form of motion from purely synthetic materials, which typically do not generate internalized reactions to drive mechanical action. Moreover, for practical applications, this bio-inspired motion must be readily controllable. Herein, we develop a computational model to design a new class of polymer gels where structural reconfigurations and internalized reactions are intimately linked to produce autonomous motion, which can be directed with light. These gels contain both spirobenzopyran (SP) chromophores and the ruthenium catalysts that drive the oscillatory Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. Importantly, both the SP moieties and the BZ reaction are photosensitive. When these dual-functionalized gels are exposed to non-uniform illumination, the localized contraction of the gel (due to the SP moieties) in the presence of traveling chemical waves (due to the BZ reaction) leads to new forms of spontaneous, self-sustained movement, which cannot be achieved by either of the mono-functionalized networks.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: FG02-90ER45438
• OSTI ID: 1184794
• Journal Information: Scientific Reports, Journal Name: Scientific Reports Vol. 5; ISSN 2045-2322
• Publisher: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English