Material assembly from collective action of shape-changing polymers

Abdelrahman, Mustafa K.; Wagner, Robert J.; Kalairaj, Manivannan Sivaperuman; Zadan, Mason; Kim, Min Hee; Jang, Lindy K.; Wang, Suitu; Javed, Mahjabeen; Dana, Asaf; Singh, Kanwar Abhay; Hargett, Sarah E.; Gaharwar, Akhilesh K.; Majidi, Carmel; Vernerey, Franck J.; Ware, Taylor H.

doi:10.1038/s41563-023-01761-4

Title: Material assembly from collective action of shape-changing polymers

Journal Article · 03 January 2024 · Nature Materials

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01761-4 · OSTI ID:2301836

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^[3]; Kim, Min Hee ^[1];

^[4]; Wang, Suitu ^[1]; Javed, Mahjabeen ^[1];

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^[1]; Hargett, Sarah E. ^[1];

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Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)

Some animals form transient, responsive and solid-like ensembles through dynamic structural interactions. These ensembles demonstrate emergent responses such as spontaneous self-assembly, which are difficult to achieve in synthetic soft matter. In this work, we use shape-morphing units comprising responsive polymers to create solids that self-assemble, modulate their volume and disassemble on demand. The ensemble is composed of a responsive hydrogel, liquid crystal elastomer or semicrystalline polymer ribbons that reversibly bend or twist. The dispersions of these ribbons mechanically interlock, inducing reversible aggregation. The aggregated liquid crystal elastomer ribbons have a 12-fold increase in the yield stress compared with cooled dispersion and contract by 34% on heating. Ribbon type, concentration and shape dictate the aggregation and govern the global mechanical properties of the solid that forms. Coating liquid crystal elastomer ribbons with a liquid metal begets photoresponsive and electrically conductive aggregates, whereas seeding cells on hydrogel ribbons enables self-assembling three-dimensional scaffolds, providing a versatile platform for the design of dynamic materials.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); US Army Research Office (ARO); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 2301836

Report Number(s):: LLNL--JRNL-843254; 1065937

Journal Information:: Nature Materials, Journal Name: Nature Materials Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 23; ISSN 1476-1122

Publisher:: Springer NatureCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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