DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Flexible magnetic composites for light-controlled actuation and interfaces

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
 [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [2];  [4]
  1. Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States). Silklab. Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  3. Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States). Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
  4. Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States). Silklab. Dept. of Biomedical Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dept. of Physics

The interaction between light and matter has been long explored, leading to insights based on the modulation and control of electrons and/or photons within a material. An opportunity exists in optomechanics, where the conversion of radiation into material strain and actuation is currently induced at the molecular level in liquid crystal systems, or at the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device scale, producing limited potential strain energy (or force) in light-driven systems. We present flexible material composites that, when illuminated, are capable of macroscale motion, through the interplay of optically absorptive elements and low Curie temperature magnetic materials. These composites can be formed into films, sponges, monoliths, and hydrogels, and can be actuated with light at desired locations. Finally, light-actuated elastomeric composites for gripping and releasing, heliotactic motion, light-driven propulsion, and rotation are demonstrated as examples of the versatility of this approach.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); Office of Naval Research (ONR) (United States); National Science Foundation (NSF) (United States)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1475345
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--18-28365
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal Issue: 32 Vol. 115; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (38)

Structural Analysis journal May 1990
Measuring the Curie temperature: MEASURING THE CURIE TEMPERATURE journal April 2013
Tunable Photocontrolled Motions Using Stored Strain Energy in Malleable Azobenzene Liquid Crystalline Polymer Actuators journal June 2017
Structured light enables biomimetic swimming and versatile locomotion of photoresponsive soft microrobots journal February 2016
Optically Three-Dimensional Control of Magnetic Levitation Using Temperature-Sensitive Ferrite journal May 2008
Soft Iron/Silicon Composite Tubes for Magnetic Peristaltic Pumping: Frequency-Dependent Pressure and Volume Flow journal March 2013
Materials fabrication from Bombyx mori silk fibroin journal September 2011
A new route for silk journal November 2008
Origami-inspired active graphene-based paper for programmable instant self-folding walking devices journal November 2015
Conversion of light into macroscopic helical motion journal February 2014
Magnetoresistance of Chromium Dioxide Powder Compacts journal April 1998
Programmable artificial phototactic microswimmer journal October 2016
A Bioinspired Swimming and Walking Hydrogel Driven by Light-Controlled Local Density journal May 2015
Polymer films in sensor applications: a review of present uses and future possibilities journal June 2000
Maximizing the performance of photothermal actuators by combining smart materials with supplementary advantages journal April 2017
Mimicking biological stress–strain behaviour with synthetic elastomers journal September 2017
Optomechanical device actuation through the optical gradient force journal April 2010
High-Q silk fibroin whispering gallery microresonator journal January 2016
Sequential self-folding of polymer sheets journal March 2017
The chemical and physical properties of CrO 2 and tetravalent chromium oxide derivatives journal November 1977
Study on the activation of styrene-based shape memory polymer by medium-infrared laser light journal March 2010
A Rewritable, Reprogrammable, Dual Light-Responsive Polymer Actuator journal September 2017
Materials for Magnetic-Tape Media journal September 1996
Photocontrol of fluid slugs in liquid crystal polymer microactuators journal September 2016
Self-Sensing, Ultralight, and Conductive 3D Graphene/Iron Oxide Aerogel Elastomer Deformable in a Magnetic Field journal February 2015
A plant tendril mimic soft actuator with phototunable bending and chiral twisting motion modes journal December 2016
Newton’s law of heating and the heat equation journal January 2009
Low-threshold blue lasing from silk fibroin thin films journal August 2012
Light-Activated Rapid-Response Polyvinylidene-Fluoride-Based Flexible Films journal April 2016
Photoactuators and motors based on carbon nanotubes with selective chirality distributions journal January 2014
Silk Materials - A Road to Sustainable High Technology journal May 2012
A Rewritable, Reprogrammable, Dual Light-Responsive Polymer Actuator journal September 2017
Rapid Nanoimprinting of Silk Fibroin Films for Biophotonic Applications journal April 2010
Walking machine driven by a light beam conference October 2001
A light-driven artificial flytrap journal May 2017
Making waves in a photoactive polymer film journal June 2017
Applications of polydimethylsiloxane in analytical chemistry: A review journal October 2012
3D Printed Photoresponsive Devices Based on Shape Memory Composites journal June 2017

Cited By (5)

Photothermally and magnetically controlled reconfiguration of polymer composites for soft robotics journal August 2019
Bio-inspired sensing and actuating materials journal January 2019
Light-Induced Actuation of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Filled with Graphene Oxide Grafted with Poly(2-(trimethylsilyloxy)ethyl Methacrylate) journal September 2018
Light-Induced Actuation of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Filled with Graphene Oxide Grafted with Poly(2-(trimethylsilyloxy)ethyl Methacrylate) journal September 2018
Cutting the Cord: Progress in Untethered Soft Robotics and Actuators journal January 2019