1
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Qi J, Zhao H, Wang W, Gao S, Huang J, Yan Y. Solid-Phase Molecular Self-Assembly Enabled Glue-Free Antifatigue Laminate Programmable Materials. SMALL METHODS 2024; 8:e2301114. [PMID: 38189584 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202301114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Repeated programmability has emerged as a desired property in smart device engineering, but the programmability will fatigue upon repeated applications due to the unmatched mechanical property between the layer materials and the polymeric glue that is required to integrate the two individual oriented layers. It is reported here that glue-free antifatigue programmable laminate materials can be made with films resulted from solid-phase molecular self-assembly (SPMSA). The SPMSA films are created by squeezing the precipitates of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and DTAB with a noodle machine, where the hydrophobic DTAB molecules self-assembled into wormlike micelles and oriented along the squeezing direction. The surface molecules in this film are endowed with sufficient mobility in the presence of hydration water, so that two such films are able to be pressed into a laminate material owing to the hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions between the molecules on the two adjacent surfaces. As the water evaporated gradually, the left laminate materials are glue-free with the same composition. When many of such films are integrated with specific designs, complicated shape programming is able to be achieved, and the programmability is reversible without fatigue. The current strategy is envisioned as a potent intriguing pathway leading to advanced programable materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinwan Qi
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Pekingd University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Hongxin Zhao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Pekingd University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Wenkai Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Pekingd University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Shuitao Gao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Pekingd University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jianbin Huang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Pekingd University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Yun Yan
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Pekingd University, Beijing, 100871, China
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2
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Lyu P, Broer DJ, Liu D. Advancing interactive systems with liquid crystal network-based adaptive electronics. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4191. [PMID: 38760356 PMCID: PMC11101476 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48353-7] [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: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Achieving adaptive behavior in artificial systems, analogous to living organisms, has been a long-standing goal in electronics and materials science. Efforts to integrate adaptive capabilities into synthetic electronics traditionally involved a typical architecture comprising of sensors, an external controller, and actuators constructed from multiple materials. However, challenges arise when attempting to unite these three components into a single entity capable of independently coping with dynamic environments. Here, we unveil an adaptive electronic unit based on a liquid crystal polymer that seamlessly incorporates sensing, signal processing, and actuating functionalities. The polymer forms a film that undergoes anisotropic deformations when exposed to a minor heat pulse generated by human touch. We integrate this property into an electric circuit to facilitate switching. We showcase the concept by creating an interactive system that features distributed information processing including feedback loops and enabling cascading signal transmission across multiple adaptive units. This system responds progressively, in a multi-layered cascade to a dynamic change in its environment. The incorporation of adaptive capabilities into a single piece of responsive material holds immense potential for expediting progress in next-generation flexible electronics, soft robotics, and swarm intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengrong Lyu
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Dirk J Broer
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Danqing Liu
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
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3
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Reinken H, Menzel AM. Vortex Pattern Stabilization in Thin Films Resulting from Shear Thickening of Active Suspensions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2024; 132:138301. [PMID: 38613265 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.132.138301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
The need for structuring on micrometer scales is abundant, for example, in view of phononic applications. We here outline a novel approach based on the phenomenon of active turbulence on the mesoscale. As we demonstrate, a shear-thickening carrier fluid of active microswimmers intrinsically stabilizes regular vortex patterns of otherwise turbulent active suspensions. The fluid self-organizes into a periodically structured nonequilibrium state. Introducing additional passive particles of intermediate size leads to regular spatial organization of these objects. Our approach opens a new path toward functionalization through patterning of thin films and membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henning Reinken
- Institut für Physik, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Andreas M Menzel
- Institut für Physik, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
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4
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Mandal A, Chatterjee K. 4D printing for biomedical applications. J Mater Chem B 2024; 12:2985-3005. [PMID: 38436200 DOI: 10.1039/d4tb00006d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
While three-dimensional (3D) printing excels at fabricating static constructs, it fails to emulate the dynamic behavior of native tissues or the temporal programmability desired for medical devices. Four-dimensional (4D) printing is an advanced additive manufacturing technology capable of fabricating constructs that can undergo pre-programmed changes in shape, property, or functionality when exposed to specific stimuli. In this Perspective, we summarize the advances in materials chemistry, 3D printing strategies, and post-printing methodologies that collectively facilitate the realization of temporal dynamics within 4D-printed soft materials (hydrogels, shape-memory polymers, liquid crystalline elastomers), ceramics, and metals. We also discuss and present insights about the diverse biomedical applications of 4D printing, including tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, drug delivery, in vitro models, and medical devices. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and emphasize the importance of an application-driven design approach to enable the clinical translation and widespread adoption of 4D printing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arkodip Mandal
- Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560012, India.
| | - Kaushik Chatterjee
- Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560012, India.
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5
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Feng W, He Q, Zhang L. Embedded Physical Intelligence in Liquid Crystalline Polymer Actuators and Robots. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2312313. [PMID: 38375751 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202312313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Responsive materials possess the inherent capacity to autonomously sense and respond to various external stimuli, demonstrating physical intelligence. Among the diverse array of responsive materials, liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) stand out for their remarkable reversible stimuli-responsive shape-morphing properties and their potential for creating soft robots. While numerous reviews have extensively detailed the progress in developing LCP-based actuators and robots, there exists a need for comprehensive summaries that elucidate the underlying principles governing actuation and how physical intelligence is embedded within these systems. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in developing actuators and robots endowed with physical intelligence using LCPs. This review is structured around the stimulus conditions and categorizes the studies involving responsive LCPs based on the fundamental control and stimulation logic and approach. Specifically, three main categories are examined: systems that respond to changing stimuli, those operating under constant stimuli, and those equip with learning and logic control capabilities. Furthermore, the persisting challenges that need to be addressed are outlined and discuss the future avenues of research in this dynamic field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Feng
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qiguang He
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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6
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Zhang C, Fei G, Lu X, Xia H, Zhao Y. Liquid Crystal Elastomer Artificial Tendrils with Asymmetric Core-Sheath Structure Showing Evolutionary Biomimetic Locomotion. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2307210. [PMID: 37805917 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202307210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
The sophisticated and complex haptonastic movements in response to environmental-stimuli of living organisms have always fascinated scientists. However, how to fundamentally mimic the sophisticated hierarchical architectures of living organisms to provide the artificial counterparts with similar or even beyond-natural functions based on the underlying mechanism remains a major scientific challenge. Here, liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) artificial tendrils showing evolutionary biomimetic locomotion are developed following the structure-function principle that is used in nature to grow climbing plants. These elaborately designed tendril-like LCE actuators possess an asymmetric core-sheath architecture which shows a higher-to-lower transition in the degree of LC orientation from the sheath-to-core layer across the semi-ellipse cross-section. Upon heating and cooling, the LCE artificial tendril can undergo reversible tendril-like shape-morphing behaviors, such as helical coiling/winding, and perversion. The fundamental mechanism of the helical shape-morphing of the artificial tendril is revealed by using theoretical models and finite element simulations. Besides, the incorporation of metal-ligand coordination into the LCE network provides the artificial tendril with reconfigurable shape-morphing performances such as helical transitions and rotational deformations. Finally, the abilities of helical and rotational deformations are integrated into a new reprogrammed flagellum-like architecture to perform evolutionary locomotion mimicking the haptonastic movements of the natural flagellum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Guoxia Fei
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Xili Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Hesheng Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Yue Zhao
- Département de chimie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke, Québec, J1K 2R1, Canada
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7
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Abdelrahman MK, Wagner RJ, Kalairaj MS, Zadan M, Kim MH, Jang LK, Wang S, Javed M, Dana A, Singh KA, Hargett SE, Gaharwar AK, Majidi C, Vernerey FJ, Ware TH. Material assembly from collective action of shape-changing polymers. NATURE MATERIALS 2024; 23:281-289. [PMID: 38177377 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01761-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
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. Here 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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Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa K Abdelrahman
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Robert J Wagner
- Mechanical Engineering Department, Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Mason Zadan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Min Hee Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Lindy K Jang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Materials Engineering Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Suitu Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Mahjabeen Javed
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Asaf Dana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Kanwar Abhay Singh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Sarah E Hargett
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Akhilesh K Gaharwar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Carmel Majidi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Franck J Vernerey
- Mechanical Engineering Department, Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Taylor H Ware
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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8
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Choi J, Jeon J, Lee J, Nauman A, Lee JG, Cho W, Lee C, Cho Y, Wie JJ, Kim H. Steerable and Agile Light-Fueled Rolling Locomotors by Curvature-Engineered Torsional Torque. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2304715. [PMID: 37565602 PMCID: PMC10602523 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202304715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
On-demand photo-steerable amphibious rolling motions are generated by the structural engineering of monolithic soft locomotors. Photo-morphogenesis of azobenzene-functionalized liquid crystal polymer networks (azo-LCNs) is designed from spiral ribbon to helicoid helices, employing a 270° super-twisted nematic molecular geometry with aspect ratio variations of azo-LCN strips. Unlike the intermittent and biased rolling of spiral ribbon azo-LCNs with center-of-mass shifting, the axial torsional torque of helicoid azo-LCNs enables continuous and straight rolling at high rotation rates (≈720 rpm). Furthermore, center-tapered helicoid structures with wide edges are introduced for effectively accelerating photo-motilities while maintaining directional controllability. Irrespective of surface conditions, the photo-induced rotational torque of center-tapered helicoid azo-LCNs can be transferred to interacting surfaces, as manifested by steep slope climbing and paddle-like swimming multimodal motilities. Finally, the authors demonstrate continuous curvilinear guidance of soft locomotors, bypassing obstacles and reaching desired destinations through real-time on-demand photo-steering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun‐Chan Choi
- School of Electronic and Electrical EngineeringKyungpook National University41566DaeguRepublic of Korea
- Soft Hybrid Materials Research CenterKorea Institute of Science and Technology02792SeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Jisoo Jeon
- Program in Environmental and Polymer EngineeringInha University22212IncheonRepublic of Korea
| | - Jae‐Won Lee
- School of Electronic and Electrical EngineeringKyungpook National University41566DaeguRepublic of Korea
| | - Asad Nauman
- School of Electronic and Electrical EngineeringKyungpook National University41566DaeguRepublic of Korea
| | - Jae Gyeong Lee
- Department of Organic and Nano EngineeringHanyang University04763SeoulRepublic of Korea
- Human‐Tech Convergence ProgramHanyang University04763SeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Woongbi Cho
- Department of Organic and Nano EngineeringHanyang University04763SeoulRepublic of Korea
- Human‐Tech Convergence ProgramHanyang University04763SeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Chanwoo Lee
- School of Electronic and Electrical EngineeringKyungpook National University41566DaeguRepublic of Korea
| | - Young‐Min Cho
- School of Electronics EngineeringKyungpook National University41566DaeguRepublic of Korea
| | - Jeong Jae Wie
- Department of Organic and Nano EngineeringHanyang University04763SeoulRepublic of Korea
- Human‐Tech Convergence ProgramHanyang University04763SeoulRepublic of Korea
- Department of Chemical EngineeringHanyang University04763SeoulRepublic of Korea
- Institute of Nano Science and TechnologyHanyang University04763SeoulRepublic of Korea
- The Research Institute of Industrial ScienceHanyang UniversitySeoul04763Republic of Korea
- The Michael M. Szwarc Polymer Research InstituteState University of New York College of Environmental Science and ForestrySyracuseNY13210USA
- Department of Chemical EngineeringState University of New York College of Enviromental Science and ForestrySyracuseNY13210USA
| | - Hak‐Rin Kim
- School of Electronic and Electrical EngineeringKyungpook National University41566DaeguRepublic of Korea
- School of Electronics EngineeringKyungpook National University41566DaeguRepublic of Korea
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9
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Omori EK, de Souza RF, Jakli A, de Souza RT, Zola RS. Dynamics of coreless defects during winding up transitions in confined chiral nematic liquid crystals. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:064701. [PMID: 36671096 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.064701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Twist-coupled elastic deformations are ubiquitous and in the limelight of interest for next-generation self-shaping materials. Here, we describe how twist dynamics under fixed anchoring lead to bend deformation and defect dynamics in a field-unwound chiral liquid crystal material. We use the Q-tensor dynamics under the Landau-de Gennes formalism in a finite-element mesh to explore the texture pathways from the unwound (homeotropic) to the helical planar structure. Our simulations describe well previously reported experiments and confirm that the process occurs by forming pairs of coreless defects that interact with each other and create quadrupolar structures called Lehmann clusters. The dynamics and coarsening of dipoles and quadrupoles of defects are described. This numerical study describes the full dynamics, which has been sought for several years.
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Affiliation(s)
- E K Omori
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 87020-900 Maringá, Brazil
| | - R F de Souza
- Senai Cimatec - Supercomputing Center for Industrial Innovation from Bahia State, Avenida Orlando Gomes 2845, CEP 41650-010 Salvador, Brazil
| | - A Jakli
- Materials Sciences Graduate Program and Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
| | - R T de Souza
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 87020-900 Maringá, Brazil and Departamento Acadêmico de Física, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Apucarana, Rua Marcílio Dias, 635 86812-460 Apucarana, Brazil
| | - R S Zola
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 87020-900 Maringá, Brazil and Departamento Acadêmico de Física, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Apucarana, Rua Marcílio Dias, 635 86812-460 Apucarana, Brazil
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10
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Giudici A, Biggins JS. Curvature-driven instabilities in thin active shells. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220487. [PMID: 36249334 PMCID: PMC9554723 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Spontaneous material shape changes, such as swelling, growth or thermal expansion, can be used to trigger dramatic elastic instabilities in thin shells. These instabilities originate in geometric incompatibility between the preferred extrinsic and intrinsic curvature of the shell, which may be modified by active deformations through the thickness and in plane, respectively. Here, we solve the simplest possible model of such instabilities, which assumes the shells are shallow, thin enough to bend but not stretch, and subject to homogeneous preferred curvatures. We consider separately the cases of zero, positive and negative Gauss curvature. We identify two types of supercritical symmetry-breaking instability, in which the shell's principal curvature spontaneously breaks discrete up/down symmetry and continuous planar isotropy. These are then augmented by inversion instabilities, in which the shell jumps subcritically between up/down broken symmetry states and rotation instabilities, in which the curvatures rotate by 90° between states of broken isotropy without release of energy. Each instability has a thickness-independent threshold value for the preferred extrinsic curvature proportional to the square root of Gauss curvature. Finally, we show that the threshold for the isotropy-breaking instability is the same for deep spherical caps, in good agreement with recently published data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Giudici
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB21PZ, UK
| | - John S. Biggins
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB21PZ, UK
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11
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McCourt J, Kewalramani S, Gao C, Roth EW, Weigand SJ, Olvera de la Cruz M, Bedzyk MJ. Electrostatic Control of Shape Selection and Nanoscale Structure in Chiral Molecular Assemblies. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2022; 8:1169-1181. [PMID: 36032772 PMCID: PMC9413830 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.2c00447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
How molecular chirality manifests at the nano- to macroscale has been a scientific puzzle since Louis Pasteur discovered biochirality. Chiral molecules assemble into meso-shapes such as twisted and helical ribbons, helicoidal scrolls (cochleates), or möbius strips (closed twisted ribbons). Here we analyze self-assembly for a series of amphiphiles, C n -K, consisting of an ionizable amino acid [lysine (K)] coupled to alkyl tails with n = 12, 14, or 16 carbons. This simple system allows us to probe the effects of electrostatic and van der Waals interactions in chiral assemblies. Small/wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) reveals that at low pH, where the headgroups are ionized (+1), C16-K forms high aspect ratio, planar crystalline bilayers. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations reveal that tilted tails of the bilayer leaflets are interdigitated. SAXS shows that, with increasing salt concentration, C16-K molecules assemble into cochleates, whereas at elevated pH (reduced degree of ionization), helices are observed for all C n -K assemblies. The shape selection between helices and scrolls is explained by a membrane energetics model. The nano- to meso-scale structure of the chiral assemblies can be continuously controlled by solution ionic conditions. Overall, our study represents a step toward an electrostatics-based approach for shape selection and nanoscale structure control in chiral assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph
M. McCourt
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Sumit Kewalramani
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Changrui Gao
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Eric W. Roth
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Steven J. Weigand
- DuPont-Northwestern-Dow
Collaborative Access Team, Northwestern
University Synchrotron Research Center, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Monica Olvera de la Cruz
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Michael J. Bedzyk
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
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12
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Javed M, Corazao T, Saed MO, Ambulo CP, Li Y, Kessler MR, Ware TH. Programmable Shape Change in Semicrystalline Liquid Crystal Elastomers. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:35087-35096. [PMID: 35866446 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c07533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are stimuli-responsive materials capable of reversible and programmable shape change in response to an environmental stimulus. Despite the highly responsive nature of these materials, the modest elastic modulus and blocking stress exhibited by these actuating materials can be limiting in some engineering applications. Here, we engineer a semicrystalline LCE, where the incorporation of semicrystallinity in a lightly cross-linked liquid crystalline network yields tough and highly responsive materials. Directed self-assembly can be employed to program director profiles through the thickness of the semicrystalline LCE. In short, we use the alignment of a liquid crystal monomer phase to pattern the anisotropy of a semicrystalline polymer network. Both the semicrystalline-liquid crystalline and liquid crystalline-isotropic phase transition temperatures provide controllable shape transformations. A planarly aligned sample's normalized dimension parallel to the nematic director decreases from 1 at room temperature to 0.42 at 250 °C. The introduction of the semicrystalline nature also enhances the mechanical properties exhibited by the semicrystalline LCE. Semicrystalline LCEs have a storage modulus of 390 MPa at room temperature, and monodomain samples are capable of generating a contractile stress of 2.7 MPa on heating from 25 to 50 °C, far below the nematic to isotropic transition temperature. The robust mechanical properties of this material combined with the high actuation strain can be leveraged for applications such as soft robotics and actuators capable of doing significant work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahjabeen Javed
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Tyler Corazao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | | | - Cedric P Ambulo
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Dayton, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Yuzhan Li
- University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Michael R Kessler
- North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Taylor H Ware
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
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13
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Colorado-Cervantes I, Varano V, Teresi L. Stress-free morphing by means of compatible distortions. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:015003. [PMID: 35974526 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.015003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We study the morphing of three-dimensional objects within the framework of nonlinear elasticity with large distortions. A distortion field induces a target metric, and the configuration which is effectively realized by a material body is the one that minimizes the distance, measured through the elastic energy, between the target metric and the actual one. Morphing through distortions might have a paramount feature: the resulting configurations might be stress-free; if this is the case, the distortions field is called compatible. We maintain that the morphing through compatible distortions is a key strategy exploited by many soft biological materials, which can exhibit very large shape-change in response to distortions controlled by stimuli such as chemicals or temperature changes, while keeping their stress state almost null. Thus, the study of compatible distortions, and of the related shape-changes, is quite important. Here, we show a blueprint for stress-free morphing based on the notions of metric tensor and of Riemann curvature which can be used to design large morphing of three-dimensional objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Colorado-Cervantes
- Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84 - 00146 - Rome, Italy
| | - Valerio Varano
- Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84 - 00146 - Rome, Italy
| | - Luciano Teresi
- Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84 - 00146 - Rome, Italy
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14
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Twisting for soft intelligent autonomous robot in unstructured environments. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2200265119. [PMID: 35605115 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2200265119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
SignificanceAutonomy is crucial for soft robotics that are constructed of soft materials. It remains challenging to create autonomous soft robots that can intelligently interact with and adapt to changing environments without external controls. To do so, it often requires an analogical soft "brain" that integrates on-board sensing, control, computation, and decision-making. Here, we report an autonomous soft robot embodied with physical intelligence for decision-making via adaptive soft body-environment interactions and snap-through instability, without integrated sensing and external controls. This study harnesses physical intelligence as a new paradigm for designing autonomous soft robots that can interact intelligently with their environments, thus potentially reducing the burdens on the conventional integrated sensing, control, computations, and decision-making systems in designing intelligent soft robots.
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15
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Kreutzberger MAB, Wang S, Beltran LC, Tuachi A, Zuo X, Egelman EH, Conticello VP. Phenol-soluble modulins PSMα3 and PSMβ2 form nanotubes that are cross-α amyloids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2121586119. [PMID: 35533283 PMCID: PMC9171771 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121586119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) are peptide-based virulence factors that play significant roles in the pathogenesis of staphylococcal strains in community-associated and hospital-associated infections. In addition to cytotoxicity, PSMs display the propensity to self-assemble into fibrillar species, which may be mediated through the formation of amphipathic conformations. Here, we analyze the self-assembly behavior of two PSMs, PSMα3 and PSMβ2, which are derived from peptides expressed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a significant human pathogen. In both cases, we observed the formation of a mixture of self-assembled species including twisted filaments, helical ribbons, and nanotubes, which can reversibly interconvert in vitro. Cryo–electron microscopy structural analysis of three PSM nanotubes, two derived from PSMα3 and one from PSMβ2, revealed that the assemblies displayed remarkably similar structures based on lateral association of cross-α amyloid protofilaments. The amphipathic helical conformations of PSMα3 and PSMβ2 enforced a bilayer arrangement within the protofilaments that defined the structures of the respective PSMα3 and PSMβ2 nanotubes. We demonstrate that, similar to amyloids based on cross-β protofilaments, cross-α amyloids derived from these PSMs display polymorphism, not only in terms of the global morphology (e.g., twisted filament, helical ribbon, and nanotube) but also with respect to the number of protofilaments within a given peptide assembly. These results suggest that the folding landscape of PSM derivatives may be more complex than originally anticipated and that the assemblies are able to sample a wide range of supramolecular structural space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. B. Kreutzberger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Shengyuan Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Leticia C. Beltran
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Abraham Tuachi
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Xiaobing Zuo
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439
| | - Edward H. Egelman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Vincent P. Conticello
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
- The Robert P. Apkarian Integrated Electron Microscopy Core, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
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16
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Lugger SJD, Mulder DJ, Schenning APHJ. One-Pot Synthesis of Melt-Processable Supramolecular Soft Actuators. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202115166. [PMID: 34826175 PMCID: PMC9300041 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202115166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The application of reprocessable and reprogrammable soft actuators is limited by the synthetic strategies, 3D-shaping capabilities, and small deformations. In this work, melt-processable supramolecular soft actuators based on segmented copolymers containing thiourethane and liquid crystal segments have been prepared via sequential thiol addition reactions in a one-pot approach using commercially available building blocks. The actuators demonstrated immediate, reversible response and weightlifting capabilities with large deformations up to 32 %. Through exploiting the supramolecular cross-links, the material could be recycled and reprogrammed into 3D actuators and welded into an actuator assembly with different deformation modes. Our work offers a one-pot synthesis and straightforward melt-processable approach to prepare supramolecular soft actuators with large deformations that can be reprocessed and reprogrammed into arbitrary 3D shapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean J. D. Lugger
- Stimuli-responsive Functional Materials and DevicesDepartment of Chemical Engineering and ChemistryEindhoven University of TechnologyP.O. Box 5135600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
| | - Dirk J. Mulder
- Stimuli-responsive Functional Materials and DevicesDepartment of Chemical Engineering and ChemistryEindhoven University of TechnologyP.O. Box 5135600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
| | - Albertus P. H. J. Schenning
- Stimuli-responsive Functional Materials and DevicesDepartment of Chemical Engineering and ChemistryEindhoven University of TechnologyP.O. Box 5135600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular SystemsEindhoven University of TechnologyDen Dolech 25600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
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17
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Lugger SJD, Mulder DJ, Schenning APHJ. One‐Pot Synthesis of Melt‐Processable Supramolecular Soft Actuators. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202115166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sean J. D. Lugger
- Stimuli-responsive Functional Materials and Devices Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry Eindhoven University of Technology P.O. Box 513 5600 MB Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Dirk J. Mulder
- Stimuli-responsive Functional Materials and Devices Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry Eindhoven University of Technology P.O. Box 513 5600 MB Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Albertus P. H. J. Schenning
- Stimuli-responsive Functional Materials and Devices Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry Eindhoven University of Technology P.O. Box 513 5600 MB Eindhoven The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Den Dolech 2 5600 MB Eindhoven The Netherlands
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18
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Abstract
In contrast to conventional hard actuators, soft actuators offer many vivid advantages, such as improved flexibility, adaptability, and reconfigurability, which are intrinsic to living systems. These properties make them particularly promising for different applications, including soft electronics, surgery, drug delivery, artificial organs, or prosthesis. The additional degree of freedom for soft actuatoric devices can be provided through the use of intelligent materials, which are able to change their structure, macroscopic properties, and shape under the influence of external signals. The use of such intelligent materials allows a substantial reduction of a device's size, which enables a number of applications that cannot be realized by externally powered systems. This review aims to provide an overview of the properties of intelligent synthetic and living/natural materials used for the fabrication of soft robotic devices. We discuss basic physical/chemical properties of the main kinds of materials (elastomers, gels, shape memory polymers and gels, liquid crystalline elastomers, semicrystalline ferroelectric polymers, gels and hydrogels, other swelling polymers, materials with volume change during melting/crystallization, materials with tunable mechanical properties, and living and naturally derived materials), how they are related to actuation and soft robotic application, and effects of micro/macro structures on shape transformation, fabrication methods, and we highlight selected applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indra Apsite
- Faculty of Engineering Science, Department of Biofabrication, University of Bayreuth, Ludwig Thoma Str. 36A, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Sahar Salehi
- Department of Biomaterials, Center of Energy Technology und Materials Science, University of Bayreuth, Prof.-Rüdiger-Bormann-Straße 1, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Leonid Ionov
- Faculty of Engineering Science, Department of Biofabrication, University of Bayreuth, Ludwig Thoma Str. 36A, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany.,Bavarian Polymer Institute, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
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19
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Duffy D, Javed M, Abdelrahman MK, Ware TH, Warner M, Biggins JS. Metric mechanics with nontrivial topology: Actuating irises, cylinders, and evertors. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:065004. [PMID: 35030939 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.065004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Liquid crystal elastomers contract along their director on heating and recover on cooling, offering great potential as actuators and artificial muscles. If a flat sheet is programed with a spatially varying director pattern, then it will actuate into a curved surface, allowing the material to act as a strong machine such as a grabber or lifter. Here we study the actuation of programed annular sheets which, owing to their central hole, can sidestep constraints on area and orientation. We systematically catalog the set of developable surfaces encodable via axisymmetric director patterns and uncover several qualitatively new modes of actuation, including cylinders, irises, and everted surfaces in which the inner boundary becomes the outer boundary after actuation. We confirm our designs with a combination of experiments and numerics. Many of our actuators can reattain their initial inner or outer radius upon completing actuation, making them particularly promising, as they can avoid potentially problematic stresses in their activated state even when fixed onto a frame or pipe.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Duffy
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, United Kingdom
| | - M Javed
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - M K Abdelrahman
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - T H Ware
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - M Warner
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, 19 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - J S Biggins
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, United Kingdom
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20
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Blonder A, Sharon E. Shaping by Internal Material Frustration: Shifting to Architectural Scale. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:e2102171. [PMID: 34716680 PMCID: PMC8693067 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202102171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Self-morphing of thin plates could greatly impact the life if used in architectural context. Yet, so far, its realizations are limited to small-scale structures made of model materials. Here, new fabrication techniques are developed that turn two conventional construction materials-clay and fiber composites (FRP)-into smart, self-morphing materials, compatible with architectural needs. Controlled experiments verify the quantitative connection between the prescribed small-scale material structure and the global 3D surface, as predicted by the theory of incompatible elastic sheets. Scaling up of desired structures is demonstrated, including a method that copes with self-weight effects. Finally, a method for the construction of FRP surfaces with complex curvature distribution is presented, together with a software interface that allows the computation of the 3D surface for a given fiber pattern (the forward problem), as well as the fiber distribution required for a desired 3D shape (the inverse problem). This work shows the feasibility of large-scale self-morphing surfaces for architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arielle Blonder
- Racah Institute of PhysicsHUJIThe Hebrew UniversityEdmond J. Safra CampusJerusalem9190401Israel
| | - Eran Sharon
- Racah Institute of PhysicsHUJIThe Hebrew UniversityEdmond J. Safra CampusJerusalem9190401Israel
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21
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Zhu QL, Dai CF, Wagner D, Khoruzhenko O, Hong W, Breu J, Zheng Q, Wu ZL. Patterned Electrode Assisted One-Step Fabrication of Biomimetic Morphing Hydrogels with Sophisticated Anisotropic Structures. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:e2102353. [PMID: 34705341 PMCID: PMC8693068 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202102353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Anisotropic structures are ubiquitous in nature, affording fascinating morphing behaviors. Biomimetic morphing materials can be developed by spatially controlling the orientations of molecules or nanofillers that produce anisotropic responses and internal stresses under external stimuli. However, it remains a serious challenge to fabricate materials with sophisticated anisotropic architectures. Here, a facile strategy to fabricate morphing hydrogels with elaborately ordered structures of nanosheets, which are oriented under distributed electric field and immobilized by polymerization to form a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) matrix, is proposed. Diverse sophisticated anisotropic structures are obtained by engineering the electric field through the patterns and relative locations of the electrodes. Upon heating, the monolithic hydrogels with through-thickness and/or in-plane gradients in orientation of the nanosheets deform into various three-dimensional configurations. After incorporating gold nanoparticles, the hydrogels become photoresponsive and capable of programmable motions, for example, dynamic twisting and flipping under spatiotemporal stimuli. Such a strategy of using patterned electrodes to generate distributed electric field should be applicable to systems of liquid crystals or charged particles/molecules to direct orientation or electrophoresis and form functional structures. The biomimetically architectured hydrogels would be ideal materials to develop artificial muscles, soft actuators/robots, and biomedical devices with versatile applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Li Zhu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and FunctionalizationDepartment of Polymer Science and EngineeringZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310027China
| | - Chen Fei Dai
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and FunctionalizationDepartment of Polymer Science and EngineeringZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310027China
| | - Daniel Wagner
- Bavarian Polymer Institute and Department of ChemistryUniversity of BayreuthUniversitätsstrasse 30Bayreuth95440Germany
| | - Olena Khoruzhenko
- Bavarian Polymer Institute and Department of ChemistryUniversity of BayreuthUniversitätsstrasse 30Bayreuth95440Germany
| | - Wei Hong
- Department of Mechanics and Aerospace EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhen518055China
| | - Josef Breu
- Bavarian Polymer Institute and Department of ChemistryUniversity of BayreuthUniversitätsstrasse 30Bayreuth95440Germany
| | - Qiang Zheng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and FunctionalizationDepartment of Polymer Science and EngineeringZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310027China
| | - Zi Liang Wu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and FunctionalizationDepartment of Polymer Science and EngineeringZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310027China
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22
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Wang KF, Wang BL. Is there only one equilibrium configuration for spontaneous bending of liquid crystal elastomer circular plates with free edges? THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2021; 44:124. [PMID: 34617149 DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00126-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, the spontaneous bending of a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) circular plate under light illumination is investigated. The large bending deformation configurations for the LCE circular plate with free edges are obtained by minimizing the potential energy. It is found that for an LCE circular plate with random distribution of liquid crystal molecules, if the light intensity is small, there is only one equilibrium configuration for bending of the LCE circular plate. However, when the light intensity reaches a critical value, the circular plate will buckle and there will be three possible equilibrium configurations. On the other hand, for an LCE circular plate with uniform orientation of liquid crystal molecules, the strain induced by light is anisotropic, and there is only one equilibrium configuration. In addition, bending shapes of the LCE circular plate depend on its thickness. These results may be useful for designing light-driven LCE devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- K F Wang
- School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - B L Wang
- School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
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23
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Miao T, Cheng X, Ma H, He Z, Zhang Z, Zhou N, Zhang W, Zhu X. Transfer, Amplification, Storage, and Complete Self-Recovery of Supramolecular Chirality in an Achiral Polymer System. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:18566-18571. [PMID: 34156135 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202107992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Supramolecular chirality and its complete self-recovery ability are highly mystical in nature and biological systems, which remains a major challenge today. Herein, we demonstrate that partially cross-linked azobenzene (Azo) units can be employed as the potential chiral trigger to fully heal the destroyed helical superstructure in achiral nematic polymer system. Combining the self-assembly of Azo units and terminal hydroxyl groups in polymer side chains allows the vapor-induced chiral nematic phase and covalent fixation of the superstructure via acetal reaction. The induced helical structure of Azo units can be stored by inter-chain cross-linking, even after removal of the chiral source. Most interestingly, the stored chiral information can trigger perfect chiral self-recovery (CSR) behavior after being destroyed by UV light, heat, and solvents. The results pave a new way for producing novel chiroptical materials with reversible chirality from achiral sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tengfei Miao
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Cheng
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Haotian Ma
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Zixiang He
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Zhengbiao Zhang
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Nianchen Zhou
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Xiulin Zhu
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
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24
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Miao T, Cheng X, Ma H, He Z, Zhang Z, Zhou N, Zhang W, Zhu X. Transfer, Amplification, Storage, and Complete Self‐Recovery of Supramolecular Chirality in an Achiral Polymer System. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202107992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tengfei Miao
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Xiaoxiao Cheng
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Haotian Ma
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Zixiang He
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Zhengbiao Zhang
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Nianchen Zhou
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Wei Zhang
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Xiulin Zhu
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
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25
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Yin L, Miao TF, Cheng XX, Jiang ZC, Tong X, Zhang W, Zhao Y. Chiral Liquid Crystalline Elastomer for Twisting Motion without Preset Alignment of Mesogens. ACS Macro Lett 2021; 10:690-696. [PMID: 35549093 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.1c00286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
A chiral liquid crystalline elastomer (CLCE) actuator is demonstrated. The solution-cast polydomain film of CLCE can twist upon order-disorder phase transition without any preset alignment of mesogens. The handedness of twisting is specific to the molecular chirality of the chiral dopant in the CLCE structure, while the degree of twisting, in terms of helical pitch and diameter, is sensitive to the aspect ratio and the thickness of the CLCE strip as well as the chiral dopant content. This phenomenon appears to stem from the local twisting forces and deformations of randomly oriented helical domains, which cannot cancel each other out due to the chirality and thus result in a macroscopic "chiral" force acting on the CLCE actuator. This finding reveals a materials design for preparing twisting LCE actuators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Yin
- Suzhou Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou 215123, China
- Département de Chimie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Teng-Fei Miao
- Suzhou Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Xiao-Xiao Cheng
- Suzhou Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Zhi-Chao Jiang
- Département de Chimie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Xia Tong
- Département de Chimie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Wei Zhang
- Suzhou Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yue Zhao
- Département de Chimie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada
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26
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Soltani M, Raahemifar K, Nokhosteen A, Kashkooli FM, Zoudani EL. Numerical Methods in Studies of Liquid Crystal Elastomers. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:1650. [PMID: 34069440 PMCID: PMC8159147 DOI: 10.3390/polym13101650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are a type of material with specific features of polymers and of liquid crystals. They exhibit interesting behaviors, i.e., they are able to change their physical properties when met with external stimuli, including heat, light, electric, and magnetic fields. This behavior makes LCEs a suitable candidate for a variety of applications, including, but not limited to, artificial muscles, optical devices, microscopy and imaging systems, biosensor devices, and optimization of solar energy collectors. Due to the wide range of applicability, numerical models are needed not only to further our understanding of the underlining mechanics governing LCE behavior, but also to enable the predictive modeling of their behavior under different circumstances for different applications. Given that several mainstream methods are used for LCE modeling, viz. finite element method, Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics, and the growing interest and reliance on computer modeling for predicting the opto-mechanical behavior of complex structures in real world applications, there is a need to gain a better understanding regarding their strengths and weaknesses so that the best method can be utilized for the specific application at hand. Therefore, this investigation aims to not only to present a multitude of examples on numerical studies conducted on LCEs, but also attempts at offering a concise categorization of different methods based on the desired application to act as a guide for current and future research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madjid Soltani
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran 19991-43344, Iran; (F.M.K.); (E.L.Z.)
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (CBB), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada;
- Advanced Bioengineering Initiative Center, Computational Medicine Center, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran 19991-43344, Iran
| | - Kaamran Raahemifar
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada;
- College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Program, Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania, PA 16801, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Arman Nokhosteen
- Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA;
| | - Farshad Moradi Kashkooli
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran 19991-43344, Iran; (F.M.K.); (E.L.Z.)
| | - Elham L. Zoudani
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran 19991-43344, Iran; (F.M.K.); (E.L.Z.)
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Abstract
Stimuli-responsive materials that exhibit a mechanical response to specific biological conditions are of considerable interest for responsive, implantable medical devices. Herein, we report the synthesis, processing and characterization of oxidation-responsive liquid crystal elastomers that demonstrate programmable shape changes in response to reactive oxygen species. Direct ink writing (DIW) is used to fabricate Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) with programmed molecular orientation and anisotropic mechanical properties. LCE structures were immersed in different media (oxidative, basic and saline) at body temperature to measure in vitro degradation. Oxidation-sensitive hydrophobic thioether linkages transition to hydrophilic sulfoxide and sulfone groups. The introduction of these polar moieties brings about anisotropic swelling of the polymer network in an aqueous environment, inducing complex shape changes. 3D-printed uniaxial strips exhibit 8% contraction along the nematic director and 16% orthogonal expansion in oxidative media, while printed LCEs azimuthally deform into cones 19 times their original thickness. Ultimately, these LCEs degrade completely. In contrast, LCEs subjected to basic and saline solutions showed no apparent response. These oxidation-responsive LCEs with programmable shape changes may enable a wide range of applications in target specific drug delivery systems and other diagnostic and therapeutic tools.
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28
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Wang S, Maruri DP, Boothby JM, Lu X, Rivera-Tarazona LK, Varner VD, Ware TH. Anisotropic, porous hydrogels templated by lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals. J Mater Chem B 2021; 8:6988-6998. [PMID: 32626869 DOI: 10.1039/d0tb00904k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Approaches to control the microstructure of hydrogels enable the control of cell-material interactions and the design of stimuli-responsive materials. We report a versatile approach for the synthesis of anisotropic polyacrylamide hydrogels using lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal (LCLC) templating. The orientational order of LCLCs in a mold can be patterned by controlling surface anchoring conditions, which in turn patterns the polymer network. The resulting hydrogels have tunable pore size and mechanical anisotropy. For example, the elastic moduli measured parallel and perpendicular to the LCLC order are 124.9 ± 6.4 kPa and 17.4 ± 1.1 kPa for a single composition. The resulting anisotropic hydrogels also have 30% larger swelling normal to the LCLC orientation than along the LCLC orientation. By patterning the LCLC order, this anisotropic swelling can be used to create 3D hydrogel structures. These anisotropic gels can also be functionalized with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and used as compliant substrata for cell culture. As an illustrative example, we show that the patterned hydrogel microstructure can be used to direct the orientation of cultured human corneal fibroblasts. This strategy to make anisotropic hydrogels has potential for enabling patternable tissue scaffolds, soft robotics, or microfluidic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suitu Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA.
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29
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Wood HG, Hanna JA. Anisotropic swelling of anisotropic elastic panels. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:3137-3143. [PMID: 33600543 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01495h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
While isotropic in-plane swelling problems for thin elastic sheets have been studied extensively in recent years, many shape-programmable materials, including nematic solids and 3D-printed structures, are anisotropic, as are most industrial sheet materials. In this theoretical work, we consider central swelling and shrinkage of plates of aspect ratio and material properties relevant to the manufacture of engineered wood composite panels in which both in-plane swelling and material stiffness are highly orthotropic, leading to multiple separations in energy scales. With transverse swelling in the soft direction, and gradients in the stiff direction, the warped plates adopt two distinct types of configurations, axisymmetric and twisted, which we illustrate with toy models. We employ a two-parameter family of isometries to embed the metric programmed by the swelling, thus reducing the problem to one of minimizing bending energy alone. A simple argument is seen to closely predict averaged axisymmetric curvatures. While purely cylindrical shapes are unobtainable by pure in-plane swelling, they can be closely approximated in a highly anisotropic system. However, anisotropy can favor twisting, and breaks a degenerate soft deformation mode associated with minimal surfaces in isotropic materials. Bifurcations from axisymmetric to twisted shapes can be induced by anisotropy or by certain attributes of a central shrinkage profile. Finally, we note how our findings indicate practical limitations on the diagnosis of moisture inhomogeneities in manufactured panels by observation of warped conformations, due to the sensitivity of the qualitative response to specifics of the profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- H G Wood
- Moog Inc., 1213 North Main St., Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
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30
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Martinez A, Clement A, Gao J, Kocherzat J, Tabrizi M, Shankar MR. Thermomechanically active electrodes power work-dense soft actuators. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:1521-1529. [PMID: 33331368 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01399d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The effect of chain extender structure and composition on the thermomechanical properties of liquid crystal elastomers (LCE) synthesized using thiol-acrylate Michael addition is presented. The intrinsic molecular stiffness of the thiol chain extender and its relative molar ratio to acrylate-based host mesogens determine the magnitudes of the thermomechanical strains, temperatures at which they are realized and the mechanical work-content. A non-linear structure-property relationship emerges, wherein higher concentrations of flexible extenders first magnify the thermomechanical sensitivity, but a continued increase leads to weaker actuation. Understanding this interplay leads to a composite material platform, enabling a peak specific work production of ∼2 J kg-1 using ∼115 mW of electrical power supplied at 2 V. Composites of LCE with eGaIn liquid metal (LM) are prepared, which act as heaters, while being capable of actuation themselves. The thermomechanically active electrodes convert the electrical power into Joule heat, which they efficiently couple with the neat LCE to which they are bound. This system harnesses the nascent responsiveness of the LCE using electrodes that work with them, instead of fighting against them (or passively standing in the way). Specific work generated increases when subjected to increasing levels of load, reaching a peak at loads ∼260× the actuator weight. These ideas are extended to tri-layered actuators, where LCE films with orthogonal molecular orientations sandwich LCE-LM composite heaters. Torsional actuation modes are harnessed to twist under load.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Martinez
- 1025 Benedum Hall, Department of Industrial Engineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
| | - Arul Clement
- 1025 Benedum Hall, Department of Industrial Engineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
| | - Junfeng Gao
- 1025 Benedum Hall, Department of Industrial Engineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
| | - Julia Kocherzat
- 1025 Benedum Hall, Department of Industrial Engineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
| | - Mohsen Tabrizi
- 1025 Benedum Hall, Department of Industrial Engineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
| | - M Ravi Shankar
- 1025 Benedum Hall, Department of Industrial Engineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
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31
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Ma B, Xu C, Cui L, Zhao C, Liu H. Magnetic Printing of Liquid Metal for Perceptive Soft Actuators with Embodied Intelligence. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:5574-5582. [PMID: 33472372 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c20418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Soft actuators with perception capability are essential for robots to intelligently interact with humans and the environment. However, existing perceptive soft actuators require complex integration and coupling between the discrete functional units to achieve autonomy. Here, we report entirely soft actuators with embodied sensing, actuation, and control at the single-unit level. This is achieved by synergistically harnessing the mechanosensing and electrothermal properties of liquid metal (LM) to actuate the thermally responsive liquid crystal elastomer (LCE). We create multifunctional LM circuits on the LCE surface using a simple and facile methodology based on magnetic printing. The fluidic LM circuit can not only be utilized as a conformable resistive heater but also as a sensory skin to perceive its own deformation. Moreover, the rational design of the LM circuits makes it possible to achieve biomimetic autonomous actuation in response to mechanical stimuli such as pressure or strain. In addition, the intrinsic stretchability of LM allows us to create 3D spring-like actuators via a simple prestretch step, and complex helical motions can be obtained upon mechanical stimulation. This work provides a unique and simple design for autonomous soft robotics with embodied intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Chengtao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Lishan Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Chao Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Hong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
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32
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Karausta A, Kocaman C, Bukusoglu E. Controlling the shapes and internal complexity of the polymeric particles using liquid crystal-templates confined into microwells. J Mol Liq 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2020.114710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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33
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Chen L, Chu D, Cheng ZA, Wang M, Huang S. Designing seamless-welded liquid-crystalline soft actuators with a “glue-free” method by dynamic boroxines. POLYMER 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2020.122962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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34
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Ozenda O, Sonnet AM, Virga EG. A blend of stretching and bending in nematic polymer networks. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:8877-8892. [PMID: 33026035 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00642d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Nematic polymer networks are (heat and light) activable materials, which combine the features of rubber and nematic liquid crystals. When only the stretching energy of a thin sheet of nematic polymer network is minimized, the intrinsic (Gaussian) curvature of the shape it takes upon (thermal or optical) actuation is determined. This, unfortunately, produces a multitude of possible shapes, for which we need a selection criterion, which may only be provided by a correcting bending energy depending on the extrinsic curvatures of the deformed shape. The literature has so far offered approximate corrections depending on the mean curvature. In this paper, we derive the appropriate bending energy for a sheet of nematic polymer network from the celebrated neo-classical energy of nematic elastomers in three space dimensions. This task is performed via a dimension reduction based on a modified Kirchhoff-Love hypothesis, which withstands the criticism of more sophisticated analytical tools. The result is a surface elastic free-energy density where stretching and bending are blended together; they may or may not be length-separated, and should be minimized together. The extrinsic curvatures of the deformed shape not only feature in the bending energy through the mean curvature, but also through the relative orientation of the nematic director in the frame of the directions of principal curvatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Ozenda
- Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 5, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - André M Sonnet
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, 26 Richmond Street, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK.
| | - Epifanio G Virga
- Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 5, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
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35
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Verpaalen RC, Engels T, Schenning APHJ, Debije MG. Stimuli-Responsive Shape Changing Commodity Polymer Composites and Bilayers. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:38829-38844. [PMID: 32805900 PMCID: PMC7472435 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c10802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Commodity polymers are produced in large volumes, providing robust mechanical properties at relatively low costs. The products made from these commodity polymers typically offer only static functionalities. Over the past decade, however, in the scientific literature, stimuli-responsive additives and/or polymer coatings have been introduced to commodity polymers, yielding composites and bilayers that change shape in response to light, temperature, and/or humidity. These stimuli responsive commodity polymers allow the marketing and sales of these otherwise bulk products as "high-end" smart materials for applications spanning from soft actuators to adaptive textiles. This Spotlight on Applications presents an overview of recent intriguing works on how shape changing commodity polymer composite and bilayer actuators based on polyamide 6, poly(ethylene terephthalate), polyethylene, and polypropylene have been fabricated that respond to environmental stimuli and discusses their potential applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rob C.
P. Verpaalen
- Laboratory
of Stimuli-Responsive Functional Materials and Devices, Department
of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven
University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute
for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven
University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Tom Engels
- DSM
Material Science Center, Urmonderbaan 22, 6167 RD Geleen, The Netherlands
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Technology Institute, Polymer
Technology Group, Eindhoven University of
Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Albert P. H. J. Schenning
- Laboratory
of Stimuli-Responsive Functional Materials and Devices, Department
of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven
University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute
for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven
University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute
for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven
University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Michael G. Debije
- Laboratory
of Stimuli-Responsive Functional Materials and Devices, Department
of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven
University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute
for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven
University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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36
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Ke PC, Zhou R, Serpell LC, Riek R, Knowles TPJ, Lashuel HA, Gazit E, Hamley IW, Davis TP, Fändrich M, Otzen DE, Chapman MR, Dobson CM, Eisenberg DS, Mezzenga R. Half a century of amyloids: past, present and future. Chem Soc Rev 2020; 49:5473-5509. [PMID: 32632432 PMCID: PMC7445747 DOI: 10.1039/c9cs00199a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 304] [Impact Index Per Article: 76.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid diseases are global epidemics with profound health, social and economic implications and yet remain without a cure. This dire situation calls for research into the origin and pathological manifestations of amyloidosis to stimulate continued development of new therapeutics. In basic science and engineering, the cross-β architecture has been a constant thread underlying the structural characteristics of pathological and functional amyloids, and realizing that amyloid structures can be both pathological and functional in nature has fuelled innovations in artificial amyloids, whose use today ranges from water purification to 3D printing. At the conclusion of a half century since Eanes and Glenner's seminal study of amyloids in humans, this review commemorates the occasion by documenting the major milestones in amyloid research to date, from the perspectives of structural biology, biophysics, medicine, microbiology, engineering and nanotechnology. We also discuss new challenges and opportunities to drive this interdisciplinary field moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pu Chun Ke
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 111 Yixueyuan Rd, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruhong Zhou
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Louise C. Serpell
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, East Sussex BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Roland Riek
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Avenue, CB3 0HE, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hilal A. Lashuel
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Neuroproteomics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ehud Gazit
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ian W. Hamley
- School of Chemistry, Food Biosciences and Pharmacy, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AD, UK
| | - Thomas P. Davis
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Marcus Fändrich
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Daniel Erik Otzen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Center for Insoluble Protein Structures (inSPIN), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Matthew R. Chapman
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Centre for Microbial Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048, USA
| | - Christopher M. Dobson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - David S. Eisenberg
- Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Biological Chemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Raffaele Mezzenga
- Department of Health Science & Technology, ETH Zurich, Schmelzbergstrasse 9, LFO, E23, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang Pauli Strasse 10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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37
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Lyu X, Xiao A, Shi D, Li Y, Shen Z, Chen EQ, Zheng S, Fan XH, Zhou QF. Liquid crystalline polymers: Discovery, development, and the future. POLYMER 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2020.122740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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38
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Deployable, liquid crystal elastomer-based intracortical probes. Acta Biomater 2020; 111:54-64. [PMID: 32428679 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.04.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are currently limited in their chronic functionality due partially to the foreign body response (FBR) that develops in regions immediately surrounding the implant (typically within 50-100 µm). Mechanically flexible, polymer-based substrates have recently been explored for MEAs as a way of minimizing the FBR caused by the chronic implantation. Nonetheless, the FBR degrades the ability of the device to record neural activity. We are motivated to develop approaches to deploy multiple recording sites away from the initial site of implantation into regions of tissue outside the FBR zone. Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) are responsive materials capable of programmable and reversible shape change. These hydrophobic materials are also non-cytotoxic and compatible with photolithography. As such, these responsive materials may be well suited to serve as substrates for smart, implantable electronics. This study explores the feasibility of LCE-based deployable intracortical MEAs. LCE intracortical probes are fabricated on a planar substrate and adopt a 3D shape after being released from the substrate. The LCE probes are then fixed in a planar configuration using polyethylene glycol (PEG). The PEG layer dissolves in physiological conditions, allowing the LCE probe to deploy post-implantation. Critically, we show that LCE intracortical probes will deploy within a brain-like agarose tissue phantom. We also show that deployment distance increases with MEA width. A finite element model was then developed to predict the deformed shape of the deployed probe when embedded in an elastic medium. Finally, LCE-based deployable intracortical MEAs were capable of maintaining electrochemical stability, recording extracellular signals from cortical neurons in vivo, and deploying recording sites greater than 100 µm from the insertion site in vivo. Taken together, these results suggest the feasibility of using LCEs to develop deployable intracortical MEAs. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Deployable MEAs are a recently developed class of neural interfaces that aim to shift the recording sites away from the region of insertion to minimize the negative effects of FBR on the recording performance of MEAs. In this study, we explore LCEs as a potential substrate for deployable MEAs. The novelty of this study lies in the systematic and programmable deployment offered by LCE-based intracortical MEAs. These results illustrate the feasibility and potential application of LCEs as a substrate for deployable intracortical MEAs.
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39
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McCracken JM, Donovan BR, White TJ. Materials as Machines. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2020; 32:e1906564. [PMID: 32133704 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201906564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Machines are systems that harness input power to extend or advance function. Fundamentally, machines are based on the integration of materials with mechanisms to accomplish tasks-such as generating motion or lifting an object. An emerging research paradigm is the design, synthesis, and integration of responsive materials within or as machines. Herein, a particular focus is the integration of responsive materials to enable robotic (machine) functions such as gripping, lifting, or motility (walking, crawling, swimming, and flying). Key functional considerations of responsive materials in machine implementations are response time, cyclability (frequency and ruggedness), sizing, payload capacity, amenability to mechanical programming, performance in extreme environments, and autonomy. This review summarizes the material transformation mechanisms, mechanical design, and robotic integration of responsive materials including shape memory alloys (SMAs), piezoelectrics, dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), ionic electroactive polymers (IEAPs), pneumatics and hydraulics systems, shape memory polymers (SMPs), hydrogels, and liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) and networks (LCNs). Structural and geometrical fabrication of these materials as wires, coils, films, tubes, cones, unimorphs, bimorphs, and printed elements enables differentiated mechanical responses and consistently enables and extends functional use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joselle M McCracken
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Brian R Donovan
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Timothy J White
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
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40
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Davidson ZS, Shahsavan H, Aghakhani A, Guo Y, Hines L, Xia Y, Yang S, Sitti M. Monolithic shape-programmable dielectric liquid crystal elastomer actuators. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaay0855. [PMID: 31803840 PMCID: PMC6874483 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay0855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Soft robotics may enable many new technologies in which humans and robots physically interact, yet the necessary high-performance soft actuators still do not exist. The optimal soft actuators need to be fast and forceful and have programmable shape changes. Furthermore, they should be energy efficient for untethered applications and easy to fabricate. Here, we combine desirable characteristics from two distinct active material systems: fast and highly efficient actuation from dielectric elastomers and directed shape programmability from liquid crystal elastomers. Via a top-down photoalignment method, we program molecular alignment and localized giant elastic anisotropy into the liquid crystal elastomers. The linearly actuated liquid crystal elastomer monoliths achieve strain rates over 120% per second with an energy conversion efficiency of 20% while moving loads over 700 times the elastomer weight. The electric actuation mechanism offers unprecedented opportunities toward miniaturization with shape programmability, efficiency, and more degrees of freedom for applications in soft robotics and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoey S. Davidson
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Hamed Shahsavan
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Amirreza Aghakhani
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Yubing Guo
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Lindsey Hines
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Yu Xia
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shu Yang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Metin Sitti
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany
- School of Medicine and School of Engineering, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
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41
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Martella D, Nocentini S, Antonioli D, Laus M, Wiersma DS, Parmeggiani C. Opposite Self-Folding Behavior of Polymeric Photoresponsive Actuators Enabled by a Molecular Approach. Polymers (Basel) 2019; 11:polym11101644. [PMID: 31658752 PMCID: PMC6835338 DOI: 10.3390/polym11101644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to obtain 3D polymeric objects by a 2D-to-3D shape-shifting method is very appealing for polymer integration with different materials, from metals in electronic devices to cells in biological studies. Such functional reshaping can be achieved through self-folding driven by a strain pattern designed into the molecular network. Among polymeric materials, liquid crystalline networks (LCNs) present an anisotropic molecular structure that can be exploited to tailor internal strain, resulting in a natural non-planar geometry when prepared in the form of flat films. In this article, we analyze the influence of different molecular parameters of the monomers on the spontaneous shape of the polymeric films and their deformation under different stimuli, such as heating or light irradiation. Modifying the alkilic chains of the crosslinkers is a simple and highly effective way to increase the temperature sensitivity of the final actuator, while modifying ester orientation on the aromatic core interestingly acts on the bending direction. Combining such effects, we have demonstrated that LCN stripes made of different monomeric mixtures originate complex non-symmetric deformation under light activation, thus opening up new applications in photonic and robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Martella
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), via Nello Carrara 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
- National Institute of Optics, CNR-INO, via Nello Carrara 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Sara Nocentini
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), via Nello Carrara 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
- National Institute of Optics, CNR-INO, via Nello Carrara 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Diego Antonioli
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica (DISIT), Universitá del Piemonte Orientale "A. Avogadro", INSTM, UdR Alessandria, Viale T. Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy.
| | - Michele Laus
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica (DISIT), Universitá del Piemonte Orientale "A. Avogadro", INSTM, UdR Alessandria, Viale T. Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy.
| | - Diederik S Wiersma
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), via Nello Carrara 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
- Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Florence, Via G. Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
- Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica INRiM, Strada delle Cacce, 91, 10135 Turin, Italy.
| | - Camilla Parmeggiani
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), via Nello Carrara 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
- National Institute of Optics, CNR-INO, via Nello Carrara 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
- Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica INRiM, Strada delle Cacce, 91, 10135 Turin, Italy.
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, via N. Carrara 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
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42
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Akdeniz B, Bukusoglu E. Design Parameters and Principles of Liquid-Crystal-Templated Synthesis of Polymeric Materials via Photolithography. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:13126-13134. [PMID: 31517498 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b02293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The design parameters and principles for the synthesis of polymeric microscopic objects using a method that combines photolithography and liquid crystal (LC) molecular templates have been demonstrated. Specifically, mixtures of a reactive mesogen (RM257) and nonreactive LC (E7) were polymerized using UV light and a photomask. We used photomasks with circular, triangular, rectangular, square, star-shaped, and heart-shaped features to provide initial shapes to the objects. Then, the unreacted parts were extracted and the polymeric objects were allowed to shrink anisotropically as defined by the ordering symmetry of the LC mixture. The initial configuration of the LC mixtures played a critical role in determining the final shapes of the polymeric objects formed after shrinking, which resulted in chiral twisting and bending, leading to more than 20 different shapes. We found that the pitch size of the bulk chiral twisted objects depends linearly on the angle of chiral twist of the LCs, whereas it was independent of their thickness and length ranging from 1.5 to 160 μm and 100 μm to 2.45 cm, respectively. The shapes of the polymeric objects synthesized from LC films with bent LC ordering, however, were critically dependent on the thickness of the objects due to the interplay between the elastic energy and surface anchoring of the LCs. The critical role of LC elasticity was observed for thicknesses below 20 μm, above which surface anchoring was dominant in determining the shapes. Overall, the proposed method was shown to provide a precise control over the three-dimensional architectures of the objects with size range that covers the micro and macro scales, which would find use in fields ranging from emulsion stabilization and catalysis to micromachines and artificial muscles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burak Akdeniz
- Department of Chemical Engineering , Middle East Technical University , Dumlupınar Bulvarı No. 1 , Çankaya, Ankara 06800 , Turkey
| | - Emre Bukusoglu
- Department of Chemical Engineering , Middle East Technical University , Dumlupınar Bulvarı No. 1 , Çankaya, Ankara 06800 , Turkey
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43
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Zuo B, Wang M, Lin BP, Yang H. Visible and infrared three-wavelength modulated multi-directional actuators. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4539. [PMID: 31586123 PMCID: PMC6778143 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12583-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, light-guided robotic soft actuators have attracted intense scientific attention and rapidly developed, although it still remains challenging to precisely and reversibly modulate the moving directions and shape morphing modes of soft actuators with ease of stimulating operation. Here we report a strategy of building a multi-stimuli-responsive liquid crystal elastomer soft actuator system capable of performing not only multi-directional movement, but also different shape morphing modes. This strategy is based on the selective stimulation of specific domains of the hierarchical structured actuator through the modulation of three wavelength bands (520, 808, 980 nm) of light stimulus, which release the actuation system from light scanning position/direction restriction. Three near-infrared dual-wavelength modulated actuators and one visible/infrared tri-wavelength modulated multi-directional walker robot are demonstrated in this work. These devices have broad application prospects in robotic and biomimetic technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zuo
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-medical Research, State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Institute of Advanced Materials, Southeast University, 211189, Nanjing, China
| | - Meng Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-medical Research, State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Institute of Advanced Materials, Southeast University, 211189, Nanjing, China
| | - Bao-Ping Lin
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-medical Research, State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Institute of Advanced Materials, Southeast University, 211189, Nanjing, China
| | - Hong Yang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-medical Research, State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Institute of Advanced Materials, Southeast University, 211189, Nanjing, China.
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44
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Krieger MS, Dias MA. Tunable wrinkling of thin nematic liquid crystal elastomer sheets. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:022701. [PMID: 31574719 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.022701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Instabilities in thin elastic sheets, such as wrinkles, are of broad interest both from a fundamental viewpoint and also because of their potential for engineering applications. Nematic liquid crystal elastomers offer a new form of control of these instabilities through direct coupling between microscopic degrees of freedom, resulting from orientational ordering of rodlike molecules, and macroscopic strain. By a standard method of dimensional reduction, we construct a plate theory for thin sheets of nematic elastomer. We then apply this theory to the study of the formation of wrinkles due to compression of a thin sheet of nematic liquid crystal elastomer atop an elastic or fluid substrate. We find the scaling of the wrinkle wavelength in terms of material parameters and the applied compression. The wavelength of the wrinkles is found to be nonmonotonic in the compressive strain due to the presence of the nematic. Finally, due to soft modes, the critical stress for the appearance of wrinkles can be much higher than in an isotropic elastomer and depends nontrivially on the manner in which the elastomer was prepared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison S Krieger
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Marcelo A Dias
- Department of Engineering, Aarhus University, Inge Lehmanns Gade 10, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Aarhus University Centre for Integrated Materials Research-iMAT, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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45
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Cheng X, Zhang Y. Micro/Nanoscale 3D Assembly by Rolling, Folding, Curving, and Buckling Approaches. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2019; 31:e1901895. [PMID: 31265197 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201901895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The miniaturization of electronics has been an important topic of study for several decades. The established roadmaps following Moore's Law have encountered bottlenecks in recent years, as planar processing techniques are already close to their physical limits. To bypass some of the intrinsic challenges of planar technologies, more and more efforts have been devoted to the development of 3D electronics, through either direct 3D fabrication or indirect 3D assembly. Recent research efforts into direct 3D fabrication have focused on the development of 3D transistor technologies and 3D heterogeneous integration schemes, but these technologies are typically constrained by the accessible range of sophisticated 3D geometries and the complexity of the fabrication processes. As an alternative route, 3D assembly methods make full use of mature planar technologies to form predefined 2D precursor structures in the desired materials and sizes, which are then transformed into targeted 3D mesostructures by mechanical deformation. The latest progress in the area of micro/nanoscale 3D assembly, covering the various classes of methods through rolling, folding, curving, and buckling assembly, is discussed, focusing on the design concepts, principles, and applications of different methods, followed by an outlook on the remaining challenges and open opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Cheng
- AML, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Beijing, 100084, China
- Center for Flexible Electronics Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yihui Zhang
- AML, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Beijing, 100084, China
- Center for Flexible Electronics Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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46
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Chen Q, Qian X, Xu Y, Yang Y, Wei Y, Ji Y. Harnessing the Day-Night Rhythm of Humidity and Sunlight into Mechanical Work Using Recyclable and Reprogrammable Soft Actuators. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:29290-29297. [PMID: 31339032 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b09324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Toward a sustainable society, soft actuators driven by environmentally friendly energy from nature are of great social and economic significance. Meanwhile, recyclability, repeated reconfiguration for other use, and complex three-dimensional (3D) geometries are also essential for mitigating the energy crisis and practical application demands. Here, we integrate all of the above features in one actuator using vitrimers with exchangeable disulfide links. By reconfiguration, welding, patterning, and kirigami techniques, complex 3D actuators can be easily fabricated, which can be repeatedly reconfigured for other applications to save cost in new material preparation. These actuators operate synergistically with the day-night rhythm of humidity and sunlight without the need of extra energy input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaomei Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Xiaojie Qian
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Yanshuang Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Yang Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Yen Wei
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Nanotechnology and Institute of Biomedical Technology , Chung-Yuan Christian University , Chung-Li 32023 , Taiwan , China
| | - Yan Ji
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
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47
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Akdeniz B, Bukusoglu E. Liquid Crystal Templates Combined with Photolithography Enable Synthesis of Chiral Twisted Polymeric Microparticles. Macromol Rapid Commun 2019; 40:e1900160. [PMID: 31183928 DOI: 10.1002/marc.201900160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Liquid crystals (LC), when combined with photolithography, enable synthesis of microparticles with 2D and 3D shapes and internal complexities. Films of nematic LCs are prepared using mixtures of reactive (RM257) and non-reactive mesogens with controlled alignment of LCs at the confining surfaces, photo-polymerized the RM257 using a photomask, and then extracted the unreacted mesogens to yield the polymeric microparticles. The extraction results in a controlled anisotropic shrinkage amount dependent on the RM257 content and the direction dependent on LC alignment. Control over the aspect ratio, size, and thickness of the microparticles are obtained with a coefficient of variance less than 2%. In addition, non-parallel LC anchoring at the two surfaces results in a controllable right- or left-handed twisting of microparticles. These methods may find substantial use in applications including drug delivery, emulsions, separations, and sensors, besides their potential in revealing new fundamental concepts in self-assembly and colloidal interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burak Akdeniz
- Chemical Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Dumlupınar Bulvarı No: 1, Çankaya, Ankara, 06800, Turkey
| | - Emre Bukusoglu
- Chemical Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Dumlupınar Bulvarı No: 1, Çankaya, Ankara, 06800, Turkey
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48
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Kim H, Gibson J, Maeng J, Saed MO, Pimentel K, Rihani RT, Pancrazio JJ, Georgakopoulos SV, Ware TH. Responsive, 3D Electronics Enabled by Liquid Crystal Elastomer Substrates. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:19506-19513. [PMID: 31070344 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b04189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Traditional electronic devices are rigid, planar, and mechanically static. The combination of traditional electronic materials and responsive polymer substrates is of significant interest to provide opportunities to replace conventional electronic devices with stretchable, 3D, and responsive electronics. Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are well suited to function as such dynamic substrates because of their large strain, reversible stimulus response that can be controlled through directed self-assembly of molecular order. Here, we discuss using LCEs as substrates for electronic devices that are flat during processing but then morph into controlled 3D structures. We design and demonstrate processes for a variety of electronic devices on LCEs including deformation-tolerant conducting traces and capacitors and cold temperature-responsive antennas. For example, patterning twisted nematic orientation within the substrate can be used to create helical electronic devices that stretch up to 100% with less than 2% change in resistance or capacitance. Moreover, we discuss self-morphing LCE antennas which can dynamically change the operating frequency from 2.7 GHz (room temperature) to 3.3 GHz (-65 °C). We envision applications for these 3D, responsive devices in wearable or implantable electronics and in cold-chain monitoring radio frequency identification sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Kim
- Department of Bioengineering , The University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , Texas 75080 , United States
| | - John Gibson
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , Florida International University , Miami , Florida 33174 , United States
| | - Jimin Maeng
- Department of Bioengineering , The University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , Texas 75080 , United States
| | - Mohand O Saed
- Department of Bioengineering , The University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , Texas 75080 , United States
| | - Krystine Pimentel
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , Florida International University , Miami , Florida 33174 , United States
| | - Rashed T Rihani
- Department of Bioengineering , The University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , Texas 75080 , United States
| | - Joseph J Pancrazio
- Department of Bioengineering , The University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , Texas 75080 , United States
| | - Stavros V Georgakopoulos
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , Florida International University , Miami , Florida 33174 , United States
| | - Taylor H Ware
- Department of Bioengineering , The University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , Texas 75080 , United States
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49
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Martella D, Pattelli L, Matassini C, Ridi F, Bonini M, Paoli P, Baglioni P, Wiersma DS, Parmeggiani C. Liquid Crystal-Induced Myoblast Alignment. Adv Healthc Mater 2019; 8:e1801489. [PMID: 30605262 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201801489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The ability to control cell alignment represents a fundamental requirement toward the production of tissue in vitro but also to create biohybrid materials presenting the functional properties of human organs. However, cell cultures on standard commercial supports do not provide a selective control on the cell organization morphology, and different techniques, such as the use of patterned or stimulated substrates, are developed to induce cellular alignment. In this work, a new approach toward in vitro muscular tissue morphogenesis is presented exploiting liquid crystalline networks. By using smooth polymeric films with planar homogeneous alignment, a certain degree of cellular order is observed in myoblast cultures with direction of higher cell alignment corresponding to the nematic director. The molecular organization inside the polymer determines such effects since no cell organization is observed using homeotropic or isotropic samples. These findings represent the first example of cellular alignment induced by the interaction with a nematic polymeric scaffold, setting the stage for new applications of liquid crystal polymers as active matter to control tissue growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Martella
- Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”; University of Florence; via della Lastruccia 3-13 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy; via Nello Carrara 1 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- National Institute of Optics; National Research Council; via Nello Carrara 1 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
| | - Lorenzo Pattelli
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy; via Nello Carrara 1 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of Florence; Via Sansone, 1 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica INRiM; Strada delle Cacce, 91 10135 Turin Italy
| | - Camilla Matassini
- Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”; University of Florence; via della Lastruccia 3-13 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- National Institute of Optics; National Research Council; via Nello Carrara 1 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
| | - Francesca Ridi
- Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”; University of Florence; via della Lastruccia 3-13 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- CSGI; Center for Colloids and Interface Science; via della Lastruccia, 3 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
| | - Massimo Bonini
- Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”; University of Florence; via della Lastruccia 3-13 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- CSGI; Center for Colloids and Interface Science; via della Lastruccia, 3 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
| | - Paolo Paoli
- Department of Biochemical; Experimental and Clinical “Mario Serio”; Viale Morgagni 50 50134 Firenze Italy
| | - Piero Baglioni
- Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”; University of Florence; via della Lastruccia 3-13 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- CSGI; Center for Colloids and Interface Science; via della Lastruccia, 3 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
| | - Diederik S. Wiersma
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy; via Nello Carrara 1 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of Florence; Via Sansone, 1 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica INRiM; Strada delle Cacce, 91 10135 Turin Italy
| | - Camilla Parmeggiani
- Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”; University of Florence; via della Lastruccia 3-13 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy; via Nello Carrara 1 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- National Institute of Optics; National Research Council; via Nello Carrara 1 50019 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica INRiM; Strada delle Cacce, 91 10135 Turin Italy
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50
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Zhang Y, Gong Y, Li B, Ma RM, Che Y, Zhao J. Light-Driven Continuous Twist Movements of Microribbons. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2019; 15:e1804102. [PMID: 30645007 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201804102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Revised: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Despite many advances in the development of artificial systems with helical twist motions or deformations, obtaining materials that can undergo continuous twist movements upon an energy input remains a great challenge. In this work, a continuous twist movement of microribbons driven by scanning laser irradiation, a process that a twist generates initially at one end of the microribbon and is continuously transmitted to the other end and then kept twisting, is reported. Key factors to the achievement of this movement are the fabrication of elastic microribbons that possess relatively low elastic modulus and diagonal photoinduced π-stacking distortion relative to the microribbon long axis. Furthermore, the scanning laser irradiation is required to drive the π-stacking distortion with the spatiotemporal coordination for the continuous twist movement of microribbons. These findings may be extended to the achievement of other sophisticated continuous movements of microscale systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Yanjun Gong
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Bo Li
- State Key Lab for Mesoscopic Physics and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Ren-Min Ma
- State Key Lab for Mesoscopic Physics and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Yanke Che
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jincai Zhao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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