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Updated: Aug 1, 2025

Four-Dimensional Printing of Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogel-Based Soft Robots
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An Anisotropic Hydrogel by Programmable Ionic Crosslinking for Sequential Two-Stage Actuation under Single Stimulus.

Yanjing Zhang1, Xingyu Cao2, Yuyu Zhao1

  • 1School of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou 318000, China.

Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 27, 2023
PubMed
Summary

This study presents a novel bi-layer hydrogel actuator capable of sequential two-stage bending under a single stimulus. This advancement enhances control over hydrogel actuators for applications in soft robotics and beyond.

Keywords:
bi-layer hydrogelpH responseprogrammablesingle stimulustwo-stage actuation

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Soft Robotics

Background:

  • Bi-layer stimuli-responsive hydrogels are crucial for advanced applications but often limited to single actuation.
  • Existing hydrogel actuators typically require multiple stimuli for complex movements, restricting their versatility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel anisotropic hydrogel actuator with sequential two-stage bending under a single stimulus.
  • To explore the control mechanisms and shape-transforming capabilities of this new hydrogel system.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a bi-layer hydrogel using poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and a non-swelling poly(3-(1-(4-vinylbenzyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium-3-yl)propane-1-sulfonate) (PZ) hydrogel.
  • Local ionic crosslinking of the PAA layer with Fe3+ ions to induce pH-dependent shrinking and swelling.
  • Characterization of the hydrogel's bending behavior under varying pH, temperature, and Fe3+ concentration.

Main Results:

  • The developed PZ-PAA@Fe3+ bi-layer hydrogel exhibits fast, large-amplitude bidirectional bending.
  • Sequential two-stage actuation is achieved through pH-induced shrinking and swelling of the PAA@Fe3+ layer.
  • Tunable control over bending orientation, angle, and velocity was demonstrated by adjusting pH, temperature, and Fe3+ concentration.
  • Complex 2D and 3D shape transformations were achieved through patterned Fe3+ crosslinking.

Conclusions:

  • A novel bi-layer hydrogel actuator capable of sequential two-stage bending under a single stimulus has been successfully developed.
  • This system offers precise control over actuation and shape transformation, paving the way for programmable and versatile hydrogel-based devices.
  • The findings inspire the design of next-generation smart materials for soft robotics, artificial muscles, and biosensors.