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Yang X, Lan L, Li L, Yu J, Liu X, Tao Y, Yang QH, Naumov P, Zhang H. Collective photothermal bending of flexible organic crystals modified with MXene-polymer multilayers as optical waveguide arrays. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3627. [PMID: 37336878 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39162-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The performance of any engineering material is naturally limited by its structure, and while each material suffers from one or multiple shortcomings when considered for a particular application, these can be potentially circumvented by hybridization with other materials. By combining organic crystals with MXenes as thermal absorbers and charged polymers as adhesive counter-ionic components, we propose a simple access to flexible hybrid organic crystal materials that have the ability to mechanically respond to infrared light. The ensuing hybrid organic crystals are durable, respond fast, and can be cycled between straight and deformed state repeatedly without fatigue. The point of flexure and the curvature of the crystals can be precisely controlled by modulating the position, duration, and power of thermal excitation, and this control can be extended from individual hybrid crystals to motion of ordered two-dimensional arrays of such crystals. We also demonstrate that excitation can be achieved over very long distances (>3 m). The ability to control the shape with infrared light adds to the versatility in the anticipated applications of organic crystals, most immediately in their application as thermally controllable flexible optical waveguides for signal transmission in flexible organic electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuesong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China
| | - Linfeng Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China
| | - Liang Li
- Smart Materials Lab, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Department of Sciences and Engineering, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 38044, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Jinyang Yu
- Nanoyang Group, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Carbon and Electrochemical Energy Storage, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, 300072, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaokong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China
| | - Ying Tao
- Nanoyang Group, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Carbon and Electrochemical Energy Storage, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, 300072, Tianjin, China.
| | - Quan-Hong Yang
- Nanoyang Group, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Carbon and Electrochemical Energy Storage, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, 300072, Tianjin, China
| | - Panče Naumov
- Smart Materials Lab, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Center for Smart Engineering Materials, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Research Center for Environment and Materials, Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Bul. Krste Misirkov 2, MK‒1000, Skopje, Macedonia.
- Molecular Design Institute, Department of Chemistry, New York University, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY, 10003, USA.
| | - Hongyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China.
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Yang X, Lan L, Pan X, Di Q, Liu X, Li L, Naumov P, Zhang H. Bioinspired soft robots based on organic polymer-crystal hybrid materials with response to temperature and humidity. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2287. [PMID: 37085510 PMCID: PMC10121608 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37964-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The capability of stimulated response by mechanical deformation to induce motion or actuation is the foundation of lightweight organic, dynamic materials for designing light and soft robots. Various biomimetic soft robots are constructed to demonstrate the vast versatility of responses and flexibility in shape-shifting. We now report that the integration of organic molecular crystals and polymers brings about synergistic improvement in the performance of both materials as a hybrid materials class, with the polymers adding hygroresponsive and thermally responsive functionalities to the crystals. The resulting hybrid dynamic elements respond within milliseconds, which represents several orders of magnitude of improvement in the time response relative to some other type of common actuators. Combining molecular crystals with polymers brings crystals as largely overlooked materials much closer to specific applications in soft (micro)robotics and related fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuesong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China
| | - Linfeng Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China
| | - Xiuhong Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China
| | - Qi Di
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China
| | - Xiaokong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China
| | - Liang Li
- Smart Materials Lab, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Department of Sciences and Engineering, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 38044, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
| | - Panče Naumov
- Smart Materials Lab, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Research Center for Environment and Materials, Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Bul. Krste Misirkov 2, MK‒1000, Skopje, Macedonia.
- Molecular Design Institute, Department of Chemistry, New York University, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY, 10003, USA.
| | - Hongyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China.
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Electrically conductive hybrid organic crystals as flexible optical waveguides. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7874. [PMID: 36550106 PMCID: PMC9780324 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35432-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hybrid materials capitalize on the properties of individual materials to attain a specific combination of performance assets that is not available with the individual components alone. We describe a straightforward approach to preparation of sandwich-type hybrid dynamic materials that combine metals as electrically conductive components and polymers as bending, momentum-inducing components with flexible organic crystals as mechanically compliant and optically transducive medium. The resulting hybrid materials are conductive to both electricity and light, while they also respond to changes in temperature by deformation. Depending on the metal, their conductivity ranges from 7.9 to 21.0 S µm‒1. The elements respond rapidly to temperature by curling or uncurling in about 0.2 s, which in one typical case corresponds to exceedingly fast deformation and recovery rates of 2187.5° s‒1 and 1458.3° s‒1, respectively. In cyclic operation mode, their conductivity decreases less than 1% after 10,000 thermal cycles. The mechanothermal robustness and dual functionality favors these materials as candidates for a variety of applications in organic-based optics and electronics, and expands the prospects of application of organic crystals beyond the natural limits of their dynamic performance.
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