Reconfiguring hydrogel assemblies using a photocontrolled metallopolymer adhesive for multiple customized functions

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Robotics

Background:

• Stimuli-responsive hydrogels enable programmable shape changes for advanced applications.
• Fabricating complex, reconfigurable hydrogel structures with customizable functions remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for fabricating reconfigurable hydrogel assemblies with tunable functions.
• To demonstrate the use of a photocontrolled metallopolymer adhesive for reversible hydrogel assembly.

Main Methods:

• Hydrogel units were reversibly glued using a photocontrolled metallopolymer adhesive.
• The adhesive utilized metal-ligand coordination and polymer chain entanglement for strong attachment.
• Hydrogel assemblies incorporated temperature- and pH-responsive units for stimulus-driven actuation.

Main Results:

• The metallopolymer adhesive enabled firm attachment and reversible assembly of hydrogel units.
• Hydrogel assemblies exhibited controlled shape changes and motions in response to temperature and pH stimuli.
• Disassembly and reassembly of hydrogel units were achieved by light irradiation and heating, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Reconfigurable hydrogel assemblies can be fabricated using reversible metallopolymer adhesives.
• The ability to reconfigure structures allows for reprogramming of hydrogel assembly functions.
• This approach offers a strategy for designing intelligent materials and soft robots with user-defined capabilities.