Light-Fueled Hydrogel Actuators with Controlled Deformation and Photocatalytic Activity.

Journal: Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
Published Date:

Abstract

Hydrogel actuators have shown great promise in underwater robotic applications as they can generate controllable shape transformations upon stimulation due to their ability to absorb and release water reversibly. Herein, a photoresponsive anisotropic hydrogel actuator is developed from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and gold-decorated carbon nitride (Au/g-C N ) nanoparticles. Carbon nitride nanoparticles endow hydrogel actuators with photocatalytic properties, while their reorientation and mobility driven by the electrical field provide anisotropic properties to the surrounding network. A variety of light-fueled soft robotic functionalities including controllable and programmable shape-change, gripping, and locomotion is elicited. A responsive flower-like photocatalytic reactor is also fabricated, for water splitting, which maximizes its energy-harvesting efficiency, that is, hydrogen generation rate of 1061.82 µmol g h , and the apparent quantum yield of 8.55% at 400 nm, by facing its light-receiving area adaptively towards the light. The synergy between photoactive and photocatalytic properties of this hydrogel portrays a new perspective for the design of underwater robotic and photocatalytic devices.

Authors

  • Pengyu Chen
    Robert F. Smith School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.
  • Qiushi Ruan
    Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallic Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, P. R. China.
  • Rasool Nasseri
    Department of Chemical Engineering, and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.
  • Hanning Zhang
    Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallic Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, P. R. China.
  • Xufeng Xi
    Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallic Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, P. R. China.
  • Huan Xia
    Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallic Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, P. R. China.
  • Gang Xu
    University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust; UK.
  • Qian Xie
    Jiangsu Eazytec Co. Ltd., Wuxi, China.
  • Chengjie Yi
    Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallic Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, P. R. China.
  • ZhengMing Sun
    Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallic Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, P. R. China.
  • Hamed Shahsavan
    Department of Chemical Engineering, and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.
  • Wei Zhang
    The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.