Combinational Hydrogel and Xerogel Actuators Showing NIR Manipulating Complex Actions

Near-infrared (NIR)-driven shape memory hydrogels are synthesized with a one-pot polymerization of N,N-dimethylacrylamide in the inorganic clay and graphene oxide (GO) suspension. The hydrogel consists of only a physically crosslinked network, which is partially thermoreversible. With the efficient photothermal energy transformation of GO in the hydrogels, the shape recovery from the temporal shape is achieved by NIR irradiation. The optimal shape fixing percentage and recovery rate are found at moderate monomer and crosslinker contents. Meanwhile, the xerogel dried from the hydrogel also shows a fast NIR response shape change. The NIR manipulating combinational hydrogel-xerogel actuators are prepared by combining the wet and soft hydrogel and its dry and rigid xerogel together. The actuators achieve complex actions of turning and lifting under sequential NIR irradiation to carry an object up- and downward and around obstacles, or to transfer an object to a target position. This work provides a new idea for designing combinational actuators to fulfil complex actions.