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Title: Covalent-supramolecular hybrid polymers as muscle-inspired anisotropic actuators

Abstract

Skeletal muscle provides inspiration on how to achieve reversible, macroscopic, anisotropic motion in soft materials. Here we report on the bottom-up design of macroscopic tubes that exhibit anisotropic actuation driven by a thermal stimulus. The tube is built from a hydrogel in which extremely long supramolecular nanofibers are aligned using weak shear forces, followed by radial growth of thermoresponsive polymers from their surfaces. The hierarchically ordered tube exhibits reversible anisotropic actuation with changes in temperature, with much greater contraction perpendicular to the direction of nanofiber alignment. We identify two critical factors for the anisotropic actuation, macroscopic alignment of the supramolecular scaffold and its covalent bonding to polymer chains. Using finite element analysis and molecular calculations, we conclude polymer chain confinement and mechanical reinforcement by rigid supramolecular nanofibers are responsible for the anisotropic actuation. The work reported suggests strategies to create soft active matter with molecularly encoded capacity to perform complex tasks.

Authors:
ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ; ; ; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ; ORCiD logo
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Bio-Inspired Energy Science (CBES)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1454345
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1461692; OSTI ID: 1822191; OSTI ID: 1846782
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0000989; AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
Nature Communications
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Volume: 9 Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS; Polymers; Self-assembly

Citation Formats

Chin, Stacey M., Synatschke, Christopher V., Liu, Shuangping, Nap, Rikkert J., Sather, Nicholas A., Wang, Qifeng, Álvarez, Zaida, Edelbrock, Alexandra N., Fyrner, Timmy, Palmer, Liam C., Szleifer, Igal, Olvera de la Cruz, Monica, and Stupp, Samuel I. Covalent-supramolecular hybrid polymers as muscle-inspired anisotropic actuators. United Kingdom: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-04800-w.
Chin, Stacey M., Synatschke, Christopher V., Liu, Shuangping, Nap, Rikkert J., Sather, Nicholas A., Wang, Qifeng, Álvarez, Zaida, Edelbrock, Alexandra N., Fyrner, Timmy, Palmer, Liam C., Szleifer, Igal, Olvera de la Cruz, Monica, & Stupp, Samuel I. Covalent-supramolecular hybrid polymers as muscle-inspired anisotropic actuators. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04800-w
Chin, Stacey M., Synatschke, Christopher V., Liu, Shuangping, Nap, Rikkert J., Sather, Nicholas A., Wang, Qifeng, Álvarez, Zaida, Edelbrock, Alexandra N., Fyrner, Timmy, Palmer, Liam C., Szleifer, Igal, Olvera de la Cruz, Monica, and Stupp, Samuel I. Tue . "Covalent-supramolecular hybrid polymers as muscle-inspired anisotropic actuators". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04800-w.
@article{osti_1454345,
title = {Covalent-supramolecular hybrid polymers as muscle-inspired anisotropic actuators},
author = {Chin, Stacey M. and Synatschke, Christopher V. and Liu, Shuangping and Nap, Rikkert J. and Sather, Nicholas A. and Wang, Qifeng and Álvarez, Zaida and Edelbrock, Alexandra N. and Fyrner, Timmy and Palmer, Liam C. and Szleifer, Igal and Olvera de la Cruz, Monica and Stupp, Samuel I.},
abstractNote = {Skeletal muscle provides inspiration on how to achieve reversible, macroscopic, anisotropic motion in soft materials. Here we report on the bottom-up design of macroscopic tubes that exhibit anisotropic actuation driven by a thermal stimulus. The tube is built from a hydrogel in which extremely long supramolecular nanofibers are aligned using weak shear forces, followed by radial growth of thermoresponsive polymers from their surfaces. The hierarchically ordered tube exhibits reversible anisotropic actuation with changes in temperature, with much greater contraction perpendicular to the direction of nanofiber alignment. We identify two critical factors for the anisotropic actuation, macroscopic alignment of the supramolecular scaffold and its covalent bonding to polymer chains. Using finite element analysis and molecular calculations, we conclude polymer chain confinement and mechanical reinforcement by rigid supramolecular nanofibers are responsible for the anisotropic actuation. The work reported suggests strategies to create soft active matter with molecularly encoded capacity to perform complex tasks.},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-018-04800-w},
journal = {Nature Communications},
number = 1,
volume = 9,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {2018},
month = {6}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04800-w

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Cited by: 83 works
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