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Tan MWM, Wang H, Gao D, Huang P, Lee PS. Towards high performance and durable soft tactile actuators. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:3485-3535. [PMID: 38411597 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs01017a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Soft actuators are gaining significant attention due to their ability to provide realistic tactile sensations in various applications. However, their soft nature makes them vulnerable to damage from external factors, limiting actuation stability and device lifespan. The susceptibility to damage becomes higher with these actuators often in direct contact with their surroundings to generate tactile feedback. Upon onset of damage, the stability or repeatability of the device will be undermined. Eventually, when complete failure occurs, these actuators are disposed of, accumulating waste and driving the consumption of natural resources. This emphasizes the need to enhance the durability of soft tactile actuators for continued operation. This review presents the principles of tactile feedback of actuators, followed by a discussion of the mechanisms, advancements, and challenges faced by soft tactile actuators to realize high actuation performance, categorized by their driving stimuli. Diverse approaches to achieve durability are evaluated, including self-healing, damage resistance, self-cleaning, and temperature stability for soft actuators. In these sections, current challenges and potential material designs are identified, paving the way for developing durable soft tactile actuators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Wei Ming Tan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
- Singapore-HUJ Alliance for Research and Enterprise (SHARE), Smart Grippers for Soft Robotics (SGSR), Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, 138602, Singapore
| | - Hui Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
| | - Dace Gao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
| | - Peiwen Huang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
| | - Pooi See Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
- Singapore-HUJ Alliance for Research and Enterprise (SHARE), Smart Grippers for Soft Robotics (SGSR), Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, 138602, Singapore
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Wang P, Liao Q, Zhang H. Polysaccharide-Based Double-Network Hydrogels: Polysaccharide Effect, Strengthening Mechanisms, and Applications. Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:5479-5510. [PMID: 37718493 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Polysaccharides are carbohydrate polymers that are major components of plants, animals, and microorganisms, with unique properties. Biological hydrogels are polymeric networks that imbibe and retain large amounts of water and are the major components of living organisms. The mechanical properties of hydrogels are critical for their functionality and applications. Since synthetic polymeric double-network (DN) hydrogels possess unique network structures with high and tunable mechanical properties, many natural functional polysaccharides have attracted increased attention due to their rich and convenient sources, unique chemical structure and chain conformation, inherently desirable cytocompatibility, biodegradability and environmental friendliness, diverse bioactivities, and rheological properties, which rationally make them prominent constituents in designing various strong and tough polysaccharide-based DN hydrogels over the past ten years. This review focuses on the latest developments of polysaccharide-based DN hydrogels to comprehend the relationship among the polysaccharide properties, inner strengthening mechanisms, and applications. The aim of this review is to provide an insightful mechanical interpretation of the design strategy of novel polysaccharide-based DN hydrogels and their applications by introducing the correlation between performance and composition. The mechanical behavior of DN hydrogels and the roles of varieties of marine, microbial, plant, and animal polysaccharides are emphatically explained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengguang Wang
- Advanced Rheology Institute, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Qingyu Liao
- Advanced Rheology Institute, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Hongbin Zhang
- Advanced Rheology Institute, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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Wang Y, Jiang X, Li X, Ding K, Liu X, Huang B, Ding J, Qu K, Sun W, Xue Z, Xu W. Bionic ordered structured hydrogels: structure types, design strategies, optimization mechanism of mechanical properties and applications. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2023; 10:4033-4058. [PMID: 37522298 DOI: 10.1039/d3mh00326d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Natural organisms, such as lobsters, lotus, and humans, exhibit exceptional mechanical properties due to their ordered structures. However, traditional hydrogels have limitations in their mechanical and physical properties due to their disordered molecular structures when compared with natural organisms. Therefore, inspired by nature and the properties of hydrogels similar to those of biological soft tissues, researchers are increasingly focusing on how to investigate bionic ordered structured hydrogels and render them as bioengineering soft materials with unique mechanical properties. In this paper, we systematically introduce the various structure types, design strategies, and optimization mechanisms used to enhance the strength, toughness, and anti-fatigue properties of bionic ordered structured hydrogels in recent years. We further review the potential applications of bionic ordered structured hydrogels in various fields, including sensors, bioremediation materials, actuators, and impact-resistant materials. Finally, we summarize the challenges and future development prospects of bionic ordered structured hydrogels in preparation and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Wang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Xinyu Jiang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Xusheng Li
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Kexin Ding
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Xianrui Liu
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Bin Huang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Junjie Ding
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Keyu Qu
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Wenzhi Sun
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Zhongxin Xue
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Wenlong Xu
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
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Low Hysteresis and Fatigue-Resistant Polyvinyl Alcohol/Activated Charcoal Hydrogel Strain Sensor for Long-Term Stable Plant Growth Monitoring. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 15:polym15010090. [PMID: 36616440 PMCID: PMC9824891 DOI: 10.3390/polym15010090] [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: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Flexible strain sensor as a measurement tool plays a significant role in agricultural development by long-term stable monitoring of the dynamic progress of plant growth. However, existing strain sensors still suffer from severe drawbacks, such as large hysteresis, insufficient fatigue resistance, and inferior stability, limiting their broad applications in the long-term monitoring of plant growth. Herein, we fabricate a novel conductive hydrogel strain sensor which is achieved through uniformly dispersing the conductive activated charcoal (AC) in high-viscosity polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution forming a continuous conductive network and simple preparation by freezing-thawing. The as-prepared strain sensor demonstrates low hysteresis (<1.5%), fatigue resistance (fatigue threshold of 40.87 J m−2), and long-term sensing stability upon mechanical cycling. We further exhibit the integration and application of PVA-AC strain sensor to monitor the growth of plants for 14 days. This work may offer an effective strategy for monitoring plant growth with conductive hydrogel strain sensor, facilitating the advancement of agriculture.
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