Review
Chemistry, Physical
Liang Hu, Tong Shu, Yu Wan, Changhao Fang, Feng Gao, Michael J. Serpe
Summary: This review discusses the responsiveness of stimuli-responsive polymers (SRPs) to external stimuli and their applications in sensing and actuation. The study includes sensors that can respond to physiologically relevant stimuli, as well as examples of SRPs used in artificial muscles, soft robots, cell culture, and drug delivery.
MOLECULAR SYSTEMS DESIGN & ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Automation & Control Systems
Yusen Zhao, Mutian Hua, Yichen Yan, Shuwang Wu, Yousif Alsaid, Ximin He
Summary: This article reviews recent progress in the use of stimuli-responsive polymers for soft robotics. Different types of representative stimuli-responsive polymers are introduced, and their actuation mechanisms and performance evaluation are discussed. Examples of soft robotic applications based on stimuli-responsive polymers are presented. Current opportunities and challenges of stimuli-responsive soft robots for future study are discussed.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF CONTROL ROBOTICS AND AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Runni Wu, Kin Wa Kwan, He Lin, Pu Li, Xia Long, Shihe Yang, Alfonso Hing Wan Ngan
Summary: Living organisms have compact intelligence achieved through highly integrated and demodularized subunits, which can be replicated in robotics using emerging stimuli-responsive materials.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Pengrui Cao, Jing Yang, Junhui Gong, Liming Tao, Tingmei Wang, Junping Ju, Yanyi Zhou, Qihua Wang, Yaoming Zhang
Summary: This article describes a bilayer material that exhibits self-rolling behavior in response to specific external stimuli. By adjusting the bilayer parameters and stimuli medium, a customizable tubular structure can be obtained. This material has potential applications in the field of biomedicine.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiao Li, Minghao Li, Lisa Tang, Diwei Shi, Emily Lam, Jinhye Bae
Summary: This review explores the potential of stimuli-responsive hydrogels in mimicking the morphing behavior of living tissues or organisms, and discusses how functional additives can be combined with hydrogels to extend their functionalities. It also highlights the potential applications of stimuli-responsive composite hydrogels in various fields including soft robotics, information encryption/decryption, biomedical research, flexible electronics, and engineering living materials.
MATERIALS CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Soumen Ghosh, Mohd Avais, Subrata Chattopadhyay
Summary: A responsive fluorescent polyaminoamide nanogel (NANO-PAMAM) was synthesized via a water-based reaction, and then it was covalently linked with doxorubicin to form a ratiometric nanosensor for temperature and pH sensing. The biocompatibility of the nanogel and nanosensor was confirmed by MTT assay.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Hiran Chathuranga, Ifra Marriam, Su Chen, Zhanying Zhang, Jennifer MacLeod, Yinong Liu, Hong Yang, Cheng Yan
Summary: Soft actuators that respond to external stimuli have attracted significant attention. In this study, a multiple stimuli-responsive actuator was designed and fabricated using graphene oxide, Fe3O4 nanoparticles, and tapioca starch. The actuator exhibited fast response speed and diverse motion capabilities, and was used to create various smart devices.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Minami Nakamitsu, Keigo Oyama, Hiroaki Imai, Syuji Fujii, Yuya Oaki
Summary: This research successfully visualizes and measures weak compression stresses through the use of stimuli-responsive materials, demonstrating the importance for healthcare monitoring and biomedical applications.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Polymer Science
Siyang Wang, Qianhui Liu, Lei Li, Marek W. Urban
Summary: Responsive polymers, known for their adaptability and capability of transport control of molecules, play a significant role in advancing scientific discoveries. Recent developments in commodity polymers with stimuli-responsiveness to various factors have diverse applications, ranging from drug delivery to color-changing coatings. Current technological advances and future opportunities and applications in stimuli-responsive chemistries are also discussed in this review.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
John J. Bowen, Mark A. Rose, Stephen A. Morin
Summary: This study presents a method for fabricating soft hydrogel actuators that rapidly respond to multiple stimuli using surface molding. The actuators can be controlled rationally through different filler types to respond quickly to stimuli such as humidity, magnetic fields, or light. The reported fabrication strategies will be beneficial for the design and production of programmable soft actuator systems, such as soft robotics.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liliana Moscardi, Guglielmo Lanzani, Giuseppe M. Paterno, Francesco Scotognella
Summary: This work summarizes the theoretical tools and fabrication techniques used for designing the optical properties of responsive PhCs, with a particular focus on electrochromic devices.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
M. Manav, M. Ponga, A. Srikantha Phani
Summary: This study investigates the stress in stimuli-responsive planar polymer brushes using strong stretching theory, and extends the theory to study stimuli-responsive brushes. The predicted swelling ratio of the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) brush is in good agreement with experimental measurements. The results suggest that the stress in a PNIPAm brush is inhomogeneous, compressive, and increases with graft density, with temperature having contrasting effects on low and high density brushes.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chunzi Lv, Zhijian Zhou, Yuqi Li, Shaorong Lu, Yongkang Bai
Summary: This study proposes an integrated material strategy for developing multi-functional materials with both actuating and self-powered sensing functions. By fabricating a polyvinyl alcohol/multiwalled carbon nanotube porous composite, the material exhibits excellent shape memory performance as an actuator and high output performance as a sensor.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Applied
Herbert Musarurwa, Nikita Tawanda Tavengwa
Summary: Stimuli-responsive polymers, with easily adjustable physicochemical properties, have attracted the attention of researchers due to their potential for recovering from bulk samples after separation processes. pH-responsive, thermo-responsive, and light-responsive polymers have been applied in adsorption studies, aqueous two-phase systems, and membrane systems. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the applications of various types of stimuli-responsive polymers, along with summarizing their advantages and limitations. Furthermore, it explores the challenges and future prospects of stimuli-responsive polymers in detail.
REACTIVE & FUNCTIONAL POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Manmatha Mahato, Won-Jun Hwang, Rassoul Tabassian, Saewoong Oh, Van Hiep Nguyen, Sanghee Nam, Ji-Seok Kim, Hyunjoon Yoo, Ashhad Kamal Taseer, Myung-Joon Lee, Huapeng Zhang, Tae-Eun Song, Il-Kwon Oh
Summary: There is a growing demand for multiresponsive soft actuators in robotic interactions. This study reports a magnetically and electrically driven dual-responsive soft actuator made from nickel-based metal-organic frameworks, which exhibits excellent performance and enables the hovering motion of a hummingbird robot.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiangjiao Xia, Samuel M. Mugo, Qiang Zhang
Summary: Flexible and wearable sensors with high sensitivity and multi-targets detection capability have been developed using a single-layer microgels structure integrated into a capacitive sensor. This sensor platform can detect bacteria, metabolites in sweat, and physiological signals such as sound recognition, respiration, and pulse beat.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Zhang Yu, Li Chen, Yang Han, Zhao Rui, Chen XinJian, Nie BaoQing, Hu Liang
Summary: The organohydrogel-based sensor proposed in the paper is simple in design, highly sensitive, and stable, capable of responding to humidity changes in a wide range and successfully applied in detecting breathing rates and moisture differences.
SCIENCE CHINA-TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Quanduo Liang, Xiangjiao Xia, Xiguang Sun, Dehai Yu, Xinrui Huang, Guanghong Han, Samuel M. Mugo, Wei Chen, Qiang Zhang
Summary: This study utilizes microgels as large crosslinking centers in hydrogel networks to produce hydrogels that closely match the chemomechanical properties of neural tissues. These hydrogels exhibit low modulus, good stretchability, and outstanding fatigue resistance, making them suitable for wearable and implantable sensors. The hydrogels can obtain physiological signals and be successfully implanted in rats for a long-term period. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of biohybrid interfaces and advances the design concepts for implantable neural probes that efficiently obtain physiological information.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yizhou Zhao, Quanduo Liang, Samuel M. Mugo, Lijia An, Qiang Zhang, Yuyuan Lu
Summary: This study demonstrates the development of wearable supercapacitors with repeated shape editability, excellent self-healing capability, and long-term cycling durability by sandwiching hydrogel electrolytes between two electrodes. The use of hydrogel electrolytes with unique cross-linking structures enhances the long-term cycling durability, while the dynamic crosslinking sites stabilize the supercapacitors during charge-discharge processes. The fabricated supercapacitors show high capacitance retention rates and can be repeatedly processed into various shapes without losing capacitance.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiangjiao Xia, Quanduo Liang, Xiguang Sun, Dehai Yu, Xinrui Huang, Samuel M. Mugo, Wei Chen, Dong Wang, Qiang Zhang
Summary: Novel hydrogels based on poly(Cu-arylacetylide) demonstrate outstanding performances for recording bio-electric signals such as ECG and neural signals. These hydrogels can also create numerous new materials with intriguing performances by substituting metal ions.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jingwei Wei, Xieli Zhang, Samuel M. Mugo, Qiang Zhang
Summary: Portable sensors play a crucial role in personalized diagnostics and treatment of cardiovascular diseases by simultaneously detecting multiple biomarkers in sweat, enhancing detection sensitivity and specificity.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hao Zhao, Xieli Zhang, Yanxia Qin, Yong Xia, Xin Xu, Xiguang Sun, Dehai Yu, Samuel M. Mugo, Dong Wang, Qiang Zhang
Summary: An integrated wearable sweat-sensing patch is demonstrated for continuous analysis of stress biomarkers at rest. It utilizes a microfluidic chip for sweat collection without perspiration assistance and has a ternary composite electrode for high sensitivity to trace stress biomarkers. The on-site signal processing circuitry enables signal transduction, conditioning, processing, and wireless transmission, with the detection results displayed on a smartphone through software.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Quanduo Liang, Zhenzhen Shen, Xiguang Sun, Dehai Yu, Kewei Liu, Samuel M. M. Mugo, Wei Chen, Dong Wang, Qiang Zhang
Summary: This article proposes a strategy to address the tradeoff between modulus mismatch and transparency-electron conductivity in conventional implantable probes, by using polypyrrole-decorated microgels as cross-linkers to generate conductive and transparent hydrogels. The biomimetic electrode demonstrated a prolonged capacity for simultaneous optogenetic neuromodulation and recording of brain neural signals in the hippocampus of rat brains, and realized an intriguing brain-machine interaction involving signal input, neural signal generation, and limb behavior control.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xueqing Huangfu, Yang Guo, Samuel M. M. Mugo, Qiang Zhang
Summary: This study presents an electric nanogenerator, fabricated using modified carbon nanoparticles and silicon nanowire arrays, for sweat electrolyte analysis. The nanogenerator utilizes evaporation-induced water flow in nanochannels to generate an open-circuit voltage and a short-circuit current, which are inversely proportional to the electrolyte concentration. The device not only allows for the evaluation of hydration status in volunteers following intense physical exercise, but also demonstrates the capability to power various electronic devices.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Zhimin Song, Shu Zhou, Yanxia Qin, Xiangjiao Xia, Yanping Sun, Guanghong Han, Tong Shu, Liang Hu, Qiang Zhang
Summary: Flexible and wearable biosensors have attracted significant attention due to their potential applications in health and medicine. These biosensors serve as an ideal platform for real-time and continuous health monitoring, offering unique properties such as self-powered operation, lightweight design, low cost, high flexibility, and convenience in detection. This review provides an overview of recent research progress in wearable biosensors, including the detection of biological fluids, micro-nanofabrication technologies, basic characteristics, application methods, and information processing. Furthermore, it highlights cutting-edge examples such as physiological pressure sensors, sweat sensors, and self-powered biosensors, detailing their detection mechanisms for better understanding. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives are proposed to advance this research area and expand practical applications.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jingwei Wei, Xieli Zhang, Qi Chang, Samuel M. Mugo, Qiang Zhang
Summary: This article introduces an integrated electrochemical sensor that can simultaneously detect three biomarkers of atherosclerosis, namely cholesterol, transferrin, and K+. The sensor is based on a hybrid material of carbon quantum dots and carbon nanotubes, which enables highly efficient electron transfer and noninvasive detection of trace sweat biomarkers.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhenzhen Shen, Quanduo Liang, Qi Chang, Yan Liu, Qiang Zhang
Summary: This study incorporates mechanically interlocked polyrotaxane into topological hydrogels to solve the tradeoffs in implantable probes for brain-machine interfaces. The topological hydrogels can acquire neural information and conduct neuromodulation, playing a crucial role in promoting brain function recovery.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Polymer Science
Ping Zhang, Li Jiang, Hong Chen, Liang Hu
Summary: Ionizing radiation is widely used and has both positive and negative effects. Sensors for measuring radiation doses are crucial, especially in cancer therapy. Hydrogel-based sensors are attracting attention due to their similarity to living tissue and biocompatibility.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Yu Wan, Keith Cuff, Michael J. Serpe
Summary: The research combines Nitinol shape memory alloy and bistable metal strips to create a swimming actuator with both slow moving and fast snapping capabilities, similar to an octopus's movement in water. The actuator is able to swim in multiple directions, controlled by a wireless module, and can potentially be used for environmental monitoring with an onboard sensor. The device has no mechanical parts, making it a cost-effective alternative to traditional boats.
ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
(2022)
