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Updated: Jul 28, 2025
An Additive Manufacturing Technique for the Facile and Rapid Fabrication of Hydrogel-based Micromachines with Magnetically Responsive Components
Published on: July 18, 2018
Dual-Stimuli Cooperative Responsive Hydrogel Microactuators Via Two-Photon Lithography
Jian-Yu Wang1,2, Feng Jin1, Xian-Zi Dong1
1Laboratory of Organic NanoPhotonics and CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29, Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China.
Researchers developed dual-stimuli responsive hydrogel microactuators using femtosecond laser writing. These microactuators can grasp microspheres and offer new strategies for microscale robotics and microfluidics.
Area of Science:
- Bionics and Materials Science
- Microfabrication and Soft Robotics
Background:
- Intelligent soft actuators are crucial for soft robotics, sensing, and manipulation.
- Microfabrication enables micron-level responsive soft actuators, but complex stimuli response remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a dual-stimuli cooperative responsive hydrogel microactuator.
- To achieve microactuators responding to pH and temperature changes.
Main Methods:
- Asymmetric fabrication of hydrogel microstructures using femtosecond laser direct writing.
- Incorporation of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate functional monomer for dual responsiveness.
- Raman spectroscopy to analyze pH and temperature response mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Hydrogel microstructures exhibit opposite bending in response to high temperature and acidic conditions.
- Independent grasping of polystyrene microspheres demonstrated.
- Cooperative response to simultaneous pH and temperature stimuli observed.
Conclusions:
- The developed dual-stimuli cooperative responsive hydrogel microactuators provide a novel strategy for controllable microscale actuators.
- Potential applications in microrobotics and microfluidics are highlighted.
