Large-Scale Spinning Approach to Engineering Knittable Hydrogel Fiber for Soft Robots
Xiangyu Duan1, Jingyi Yu1, Yaxun Zhu1
1Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, People's Republic of China.
ACS Nano
|October 19, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed a new method for creating strong, electro-responsive hydrogel fibers. These advanced fibers can be woven into complex shapes and used as underwater soft robots, paving the way for intelligent electronic textiles.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Robotics
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Hydrogel fibers are essential for intelligent electronics and soft robots but suffer from poor mechanical properties and limited fabrication methods.
- Existing hydrogel fibers lack the robustness and scalability required for practical applications in advanced materials and robotics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a continuous fabrication method for electro-responsive hydrogel fibers with enhanced mechanical properties.
- To demonstrate the potential of these hydrogel fibers in creating complex structures and functional soft robots.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the self-lubricated spinning (SLS) strategy for continuous fabrication of hydrogel fibers.
- Incorporated polyelectrolytes for electro-responsive properties and employed solvent exchange with triethylene glycol (TEG) to improve mechanical strength.
- Knitted and assembled the hydrogel fibers into various complex geometries and underwater soft robotic systems.
Main Results:
- Achieved a significant increase in tensile strength from 114 kPa to 5.6 MPa after TEG treatment.
- Successfully fabricated flexible, mechanically stable hydrogel fibers capable of being knitted into diverse complex shapes.
- Demonstrated underwater soft robotic functionalities, including flapping, grabbing, multi-degree movements, and gesturing.
Conclusions:
- The SLS strategy enables scalable production of high-performance hydrogel fibers previously considered infeasible.
- The developed hydrogel fibers offer a viable solution for designing and fabricating intelligent, woven devices and advanced soft robots.
