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Dong M, Liu W, Dai CF, Jiao D, Zhu QL, Hong W, Yin J, Zheng Q, Wu ZL. Photo-steered rapid and multimodal locomotion of 3D-printed tough hydrogel robots. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2024; 11:2143-2152. [PMID: 38376773 DOI: 10.1039/d3mh02247a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Hydrogels are an ideal material to develop soft robots. However, it remains a grand challenge to develop miniaturized hydrogel robots with mechanical robustness, rapid actuation, and multi-gait motions. Reported here is a facile strategy to fabricate hydrogel-based soft robots by three-dimensional (3D) printing of responsive and nonresponsive tough gels for programmed morphing and locomotion upon stimulations. Highly viscoelastic poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) and poly(acrylic acid-co-N-isopropyl acrylamide) aqueous solutions, as well as their mixtures, are printed with multiple nozzles into 3D constructs followed by incubation in a solution of zirconium ions to form robust carboxyl-Zr4+ coordination complexes, to produce tough metallo-supramolecular hydrogel fibers. Gold nanorods are incorporated into ink to afford printed gels with response to light. Owing to the mechanical excellence and small diameter of gel fibers, the printed hydrogel robots exhibit high robustness, fast response, and agile motions when remotely steered by dynamic light. The design of printed constructs and steering with spatiotemporal light allow for multimodal motions with programmable trajectories of the gel robots. The hydrogel robots can walk, turn, flip, and transport cargos upon light stimulations. Such printed hydrogels with good mechanical performances, fast response, and agile locomotion may open opportunities for soft robots in biomedical and engineering fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Dong
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Weixuan Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Soft Mechanics & Smart Manufacturing, Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Chen Fei Dai
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Dejin Jiao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Qing Li Zhu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Wei Hong
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Soft Mechanics & Smart Manufacturing, Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jun Yin
- The State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Process and Equipment of Zhejiang Province, School of Mechanical Engineering Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Qiang Zheng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Zi Liang Wu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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Kuroki S, Kubota M, Haraguchi R, Oishi Y, Narita T. Additive-Free Method for Enhancing the Volume Phase Transition Rate in Light-Responsive Hydrogels: A Study of Micro-Nano Bubble Water on PNIPAM-co-AAc Hydrogels. Gels 2023; 9:880. [PMID: 37998970 PMCID: PMC10671373 DOI: 10.3390/gels9110880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Light-responsive hydrogels containing light-thermal convertible pigments have received interest for their possible applications in light-responsive shutters, valves, drug delivery systems, etc. However, their utility is limited by the slow response time. In this study, we investigated the use of micro-nano bubble water as a preparation solvent to accelerate the volume phase transition kinetics of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (PNIPAM-co-AAc) hydrogels. The hydrogels were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements. The mechanical properties, surface morphology, and chemical composition of the hydrogels were analyzed by Young's modulus measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, respectively. The results showed that hydrogels prepared with bubble water changed the volume transition rate by more than two orders of magnitude by simply changing the standing time of the bubble water for only a few hours. The cooperative diffusion coefficients obtained from the light-induced volume transition kinetics correlated linearly with Young's modulus and metastable state swelling ratio. Our results suggest that bubbles act as efficient water channels, thereby modulating the response rate and providing a simple, additive-free method for preparing hydrogels with a wide range of response rates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Takayuki Narita
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Chemistry, Saga University, 1 Honjo, Saga 840-8502, Japan
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3
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Liu J, Li P, Zuo S. Actuation and design innovations in earthworm-inspired soft robots: A review. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1088105. [PMID: 36896011 PMCID: PMC9989016 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1088105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, soft robotics technologies are creating the means of robotic abilities and are required for the development of biomimetic robotics. In recent years, earthworm-inspired soft robot has garnered increasing attention as a major branch of bionic robots. The major studies on earthworm-inspired soft robots focuses on the deformation of the earthworm body segment. Consequently, various actuation methods have been proposed to conduct the expansion and contraction of the robot's segments for locomotion simulation. This review article aims to act as a reference guide for researchers interested in the field of earthworm-inspired soft robot, and to present the current state of research, summarize current design innovations, compare the advantages and disadvantages of different actuation methods with the purpose of inspiring future innovative orientations for researchers. Herein, earthworm-inspired soft robots are classified into single- and multi-segment types, and the characteristics of various actuation methods are introduced and compared according to the number of matching segments. Moreover, various promising application instances of the different actuation methods are detailed along with their main features. Finally, motion performances of the robots are compared by two normalized metrics-speed compared by body length and speed compared by body diameter, and future developments in this research direction are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianbin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Pengcheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Siyang Zuo
- Key Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
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Pantula A, Datta B, Shi Y, Wang M, Liu J, Deng S, Cowan NJ, Nguyen TD, Gracias DH. Untethered unidirectionally crawling gels driven by asymmetry in contact forces. Sci Robot 2022; 7:eadd2903. [DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.add2903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Reversible thermoresponsive hydrogels, which swell and shrink (deswell) in the temperature range of 30° to 60°C, provide an attractive material class for operating untethered soft robots in human physiological and ambient conditions. Crawling has been demonstrated previously with thermoresponsive hydrogels but required patterned or constrained gels or substrates to break symmetry for unidirectional motion. Here, we demonstrate a locomotion mechanism for unidirectionally crawling gels driven by spontaneous asymmetries in contact forces during swelling and deswelling of segmented active thermoresponsive poly(
N
-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) and passive polyacrylamide (pAAM) bilayers with suspended linkers. Actuation studies demonstrate the consistent unidirectional movement of these gel crawlers across multiple thermal cycles on flat, unpatterned substrates. We explain the mechanism using finite element simulations and by varying experimental parameters such as the linker stiffness and the number of bilayer segments. We elucidate design criteria and validate experiments using image analysis and finite element models. We anticipate that this mechanism could potentially be applied to other shape-changing locomotors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aishwarya Pantula
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Bibekananda Datta
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Yupin Shi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Margaret Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Jiayu Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Siming Deng
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics (LCSR), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Noah J. Cowan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics (LCSR), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Thao D. Nguyen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - David H. Gracias
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics (LCSR), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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5
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Liu H, Zhang Y, Ma S, Alsaid Y, Pei X, Cai M, He X, Zhou F. Esophagus-Inspired Actuator for Solid Transportation via the Synergy of Lubrication and Contractile Deformation. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:e2102800. [PMID: 34708584 PMCID: PMC8693057 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202102800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Directional transportation of objects has important applications from energy transfer and intelligent robots to biomedical devices. Although breakthroughs in liquid migration on 2D surfaces or 3D tubular devices have been achieved, realizing smooth/on-demand transportation of constrained solids within a 3D cavity environment under harsh pressurized environment still remains a daunting challenge, where strong interface friction force becomes the main obstacle restricting the movement of solids. Inspired by typical feeding mechanism in natural esophagus system which synergistically couples a lubricating mucosa surface with the peristaltic contraction deformation of the cavity, herein, this challenge is addressed by constructing an esophagus-inspired layered tubular actuator with a slippery inner surface and responsive hydrogel matrix to realize spherical solid propulsion by photo(thermo)-induced cavity deformation. The as-constructed tubular actuator containing Fe3 O4 nanoparticles exhibits local volumetric shrinkage upon NIR-irradiation, which can generate large hydrodynamic pressure and considerable mechanical extrusion force (Fdriving force ≈ 0.18 N) to overcome low interface friction force (ffriction force ≈ 0.03 N), enabling on-demand transportation of constrained (pressure: 0.103 MPa) spherical solids over a long distance in an arbitrary direction. This actuator is anticipated to be used as bionic medicine transportation devices or artificial in vitro esophagus simulation systems, for example, to help formula eating-related physiotherapy plans for patients and astronauts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Solid LubricationLanzhou Institute of Chemical PhysicsChinese Academy of SciencesLanzhou730000China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Yunlei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Solid LubricationLanzhou Institute of Chemical PhysicsChinese Academy of SciencesLanzhou730000China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Shuanhong Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Solid LubricationLanzhou Institute of Chemical PhysicsChinese Academy of SciencesLanzhou730000China
| | - Yousif Alsaid
- Department of Material Science and EngineeringUniversity of California Los AngelesLos AngelesCA90095USA
| | - Xiaowei Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Solid LubricationLanzhou Institute of Chemical PhysicsChinese Academy of SciencesLanzhou730000China
| | - Meirong Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Solid LubricationLanzhou Institute of Chemical PhysicsChinese Academy of SciencesLanzhou730000China
| | - Ximin He
- Department of Material Science and EngineeringUniversity of California Los AngelesLos AngelesCA90095USA
| | - Feng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Solid LubricationLanzhou Institute of Chemical PhysicsChinese Academy of SciencesLanzhou730000China
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7
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Nistor V, Cannell J, Gregory J, Yeghiazarian L. Stimuli-responsive cylindrical hydrogels mimic intestinal peristalsis to propel a solid object. SOFT MATTER 2016; 12:3582-3588. [PMID: 26971454 DOI: 10.1039/c5sm02553b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The emerging field of soft robotics relies on soft, stimuli-responsive materials to enable load transport, manipulation, and mobility in complex unconstrained environments. These materials often need to replicate biological functionality such as muscle contractions and flexibility. Here we demonstrate a soft actuator prototype based on thermosensitive PNIPAAM hydrogels that can transport and manipulate objects. A hollow cylindrical hydrogel was selectively heated and cooled with Peltier devices to yield a traveling wave of shrinking and swelling akin to intestinal peristalsis. A 4 mm diameter bead was placed inside the cylinder and propelled 19.5 mm, equal to distance traveled by the peristaltic wave. We derived conditions that enable peristaltic transport as a function of transporter-cargo design parameters. We conclude that hydrogel-based peristaltic manipulators covering 2 orders of magnitude in stiffness (1-10(2) kPa) could transport cargo spanning 4 orders of magnitude in size (μm-m).
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Affiliation(s)
- V Nistor
- Department of Biomedical Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, USA.
| | - J Cannell
- Department of Biomedical Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, USA.
| | - J Gregory
- Department of Biomedical Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, USA.
| | - L Yeghiazarian
- Department of Biomedical Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, USA.
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Gregory J, Cannell J, Kofron M, Yeghiazarian L, Nistor V. Functionalization of hybrid poly(n-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels forEscherichia colicell capture via adsorbed intermediate dye molecule. J Appl Polym Sci 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/app.41557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jarod Gregory
- Department of Biomedical; Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Cincinnati; 2600 Clifton Ave. Cincinnati Ohio 45220
| | - Jonathon Cannell
- Department of Biomedical; Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Cincinnati; 2600 Clifton Ave. Cincinnati Ohio 45220
| | - Matthew Kofron
- Division of Developmental Biology; Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center; 3333 Burnet Ave. Cincinnati Ohio 45229
| | - Lilit Yeghiazarian
- Department of Biomedical; Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Cincinnati; 2600 Clifton Ave. Cincinnati Ohio 45220
| | - Vasile Nistor
- Department of Biomedical; Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Cincinnati; 2600 Clifton Ave. Cincinnati Ohio 45220
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Kieviet BD, Schön PM, Vancso GJ. Stimulus-responsive polymers and other functional polymer surfaces as components in glass microfluidic channels. LAB ON A CHIP 2014; 14:4159-70. [PMID: 25231342 DOI: 10.1039/c4lc00784k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The integration of smart stimulus-responsive polymers as functional elements within microfluidic devices has greatly improved the performance capabilities of controlled fluid delivery. For their use as actuators in microfluidic systems, reversible expansion and shrinking are unique mechanisms which can be utilized as both passive and active fluid control elements to establish gate and valve functions (passive) and pumping elements (active). Various constituents in microfluidic glass channels based on stimulus-responsive elements have been reported based on pH-responsive, thermoresponsive and photoresponsive coatings. Fluid control and robust performance have been demonstrated in microfluidic devices in a number of studies. Here we give a brief overview of selected examples from the literature reporting on the use of stimulus response polymers as active or passive elements for fluid control in microfluidic devices, with specific emphasis on glass-based devices. The remaining challenges include improving switching times and achieving local addressability of the responsive constituent. We envisage tackling these challenges by utilizing redox-responsive polymers which offer fast and reversible switching and local addressability in combination with nanofabricated electrodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard D Kieviet
- Materials Science and Technology of Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
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Gregory J, Riasi MS, Cannell J, Arora H, Yeghiazarian L, Nistor V. Remote-controlled peristaltic locomotion in free-floating pnipam hydrogels. J Appl Polym Sci 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/app.40927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jarod Gregory
- Department of Biomedical; Chemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati Ohio 45220
| | - M. Sadegh Riasi
- Department of Biomedical; Chemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati Ohio 45220
| | - Jonathan Cannell
- Department of Biomedical; Chemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati Ohio 45220
| | - Hitesh Arora
- HGST, a Western Digital company; 3403 Yerba Buena Rd. San Jose CA 95135
| | - Lilit Yeghiazarian
- Department of Biomedical; Chemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati Ohio 45220
| | - Vasile Nistor
- Department of Biomedical; Chemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati Ohio 45220
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Kroeger A, Zhang B, Rosenauer C, Schlüter AD, Wegner G. Solvent induced phenomena in a dendronized linear polymer. Colloid Polym Sci 2013; 291:2879-2892. [PMID: 24293794 PMCID: PMC3830750 DOI: 10.1007/s00396-013-3007-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2013] [Revised: 06/06/2013] [Accepted: 06/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The properties of a dendronized linear polymer (DP) in dilute solutions depending on solvent quality and temperature are described. The polymer has a contour length of Lc = 1,060 nm. The sample of the fourth generation (PG4) was analyzed in the thermodynamically good solvents dioxane, chloroform, and methanol. The wormlike macromolecule has a persistence length lp = 7 nm in dioxane and a cross-section radius determined by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) of Rc (SAXS) = 2.8 nm. The bulk density of PG4 determined by SAXS was compared with solution density. Evidence for substantial swelling of the cross-section was found. Toluene acts as a thermodynamically poor solvent (θ solvent). Above the θ temperature Tθ , a strong temperature dependence of the size and the Young's modulus E was observed. Following Odijk, E/kBT ∼1 was found. Below Tθ , a regime characterized by unswelling of the wormlike chains was observed. The results suggest that DPs can be described as soft colloid filaments, which are subject to commonly observed interactions in colloidal systems. A phase diagram indicates a regime below Tθ in which fluctuations of osmotic pressure inside the filaments result in periodic undulation of the chains. In summary, introducing a dense dendritic shell around the backbone converts conventional polymers into molecular colloids. Figureᅟ
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Kroeger
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Baozhong Zhang
- Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, HCI J541, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christine Rosenauer
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - A. Dieter Schlüter
- Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, HCI J541, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gerhard Wegner
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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Jin H, Marmur A, Ikkala O, Ras RHA. Vapour-driven Marangoni propulsion: continuous, prolonged and tunable motion. Chem Sci 2012. [DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20355c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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