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Han Y, Shi B, Xie E, Huang P, Zhou Y, Xue C, Wen W, Pu H, Zhang M, Wu J. A bio-inspired co-simulation crawling robot enabled by a carbon dot-doped dielectric elastomer. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:3436-3447. [PMID: 38564251 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00029c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Flexible actuation materials play a crucial role in biomimetic robots. Seeking methods to enhance actuation and functionality is one of the directions in which actuators strive to meet the high-performance and diverse requirements of environmental conditions. Herein, by utilizing the method of adsorbing N-doped carbon dots (NCDs) onto SiO2 to form clusters of functional particles, a NCDs@SiO2/PDMS elastomer was prepared and its combined optical and electrical co-stimulation properties were effectively harnessed to develop a biomimetic crawling robot resembling Rhagophthalmus (firefly). The introduction of NCDs@SiO2 cluster particles not only effectively improves the mechanical and dielectric properties of the elastomer but also exhibits fluorescence response and actuation response under the co-stimulation of UV and electricity, respectively. Additionally, a hybrid dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) with a transparent SWCNT mesh electrode exhibits two notable advancements: an 826% increase in out-of-plane displacement under low electric field stimulation compared to the pure matrix and the ability of NCDs to maintain a stable excited state within the polymer for an extended duration under UV-excitation. Simultaneously, the transparent biomimetic crawling robot can stealthily move in specific environments and fluoresce under UV light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yubing Han
- Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Bori Shi
- Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - En Xie
- Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Peng Huang
- Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Yaozhong Zhou
- Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Chang Xue
- Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
- Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou 311100, China
| | - Weijia Wen
- HKUST Shenzhen-Hong Kong Collaborative Innovation Research Institute, Futian, Shenzhen 518031, China
- Thrust of Advanced Materials, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guang Zhou), Guang Zhou 511455, China
| | - Huayan Pu
- School of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Mengying Zhang
- Faculty of Materials Science, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Jinbo Wu
- Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
- Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou 311100, China
- Faculty of Materials Science, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Shenzhen 518000, China
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