Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Biomimetic fractal topography enhances podocyte maturation in vitro.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Developing tough, fatigue-resistant and conductive hydrogels <i>via in situ</i> growth of metal dendrites.

Materials horizons·2025
Same author

SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis in an angiotensin II-induced heart-on-a-chip disease model and extracellular vesicle screening.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024
Same author

Biomaterials for immunomodulation in wound healing.

Regenerative biomaterials·2024
Same author

Performance and applications of ZnO/pyrolusite composite particle electrode.

Environmental technology·2023
Same author

Sub-Ã…ngstrom-scale structural variations in high-entropy oxides.

Nanoscale·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Fabricating Degradable Thermoresponsive Hydrogels on Multiple Length Scales via Reactive Extrusion, Microfluidics, Self-assembly, and Electrospinning
12:07

Fabricating Degradable Thermoresponsive Hydrogels on Multiple Length Scales via Reactive Extrusion, Microfluidics, Self-assembly, and Electrospinning

Published on: April 16, 2018

13.9K

Thermo- and photo-responsive composite hydrogels with programmed deformations.

Zhi Jian Wang1, Chen Yu Li, Xin Yu Zhao

  • 1Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China. wuziliang@zju.edu.cn.

Journal of Materials Chemistry. B
|April 8, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed novel self-shaping hydrogels that can bend, fold, and twist when heated or exposed to near-infrared (NIR) light. This breakthrough offers new possibilities for soft robotics and biomedical applications.

More Related Videos

Light-mediated Formation and Patterning of Hydrogels for Cell Culture Applications
10:45

Light-mediated Formation and Patterning of Hydrogels for Cell Culture Applications

Published on: September 29, 2016

13.5K
Printing Thermoresponsive Reverse Molds for the Creation of Patterned Two-component Hydrogels for 3D Cell Culture
10:49

Printing Thermoresponsive Reverse Molds for the Creation of Patterned Two-component Hydrogels for 3D Cell Culture

Published on: July 10, 2013

15.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Fabricating Degradable Thermoresponsive Hydrogels on Multiple Length Scales via Reactive Extrusion, Microfluidics, Self-assembly, and Electrospinning
12:07

Fabricating Degradable Thermoresponsive Hydrogels on Multiple Length Scales via Reactive Extrusion, Microfluidics, Self-assembly, and Electrospinning

Published on: April 16, 2018

13.9K
Light-mediated Formation and Patterning of Hydrogels for Cell Culture Applications
10:45

Light-mediated Formation and Patterning of Hydrogels for Cell Culture Applications

Published on: September 29, 2016

13.5K
Printing Thermoresponsive Reverse Molds for the Creation of Patterned Two-component Hydrogels for 3D Cell Culture
10:49

Printing Thermoresponsive Reverse Molds for the Creation of Patterned Two-component Hydrogels for 3D Cell Culture

Published on: July 10, 2013

15.5K

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Soft Robotics

Background:

  • Self-shaping hydrogels are gaining traction for soft robotics and biomedical uses.
  • Developing hydrogels with controlled, programmed deformations is crucial for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To fabricate photo- and thermo-responsive composite hydrogels with heterogeneous structures.
  • To demonstrate programmed deformations (bending, folding, twisting) under external stimuli.
  • To achieve localized and step-wise actuation using selective light irradiation.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication via photolithographic polymerization of non-responsive polyacrylamide gels.
  • Incorporation of responsive poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) gels with photo-thermal agents via thermal polymerization.
  • Stimulation using heating and near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation.

Main Results:

  • Composite hydrogels exhibited programmed bending, folding, and twisting deformations.
  • Localized and step-wise deformations were achieved through selective or sequential NIR light exposure.
  • The heterogeneous structure enabled precise control over hydrogel shape changes.

Conclusions:

  • A novel strategy for creating photo- and thermo-responsive composite hydrogels with programmed deformations was successfully demonstrated.
  • The developed hydrogels show significant potential for applications in soft robotics and biomedical engineering.
  • This fabrication approach is adaptable for other photo-responsive hydrogels, broadening their application scope.