TY  - JOUR
A1  - Zhao, Qiang
A1  - Dunlop, John William Chapman
A1  - Qiu, Xunlin
A1  - Huang, Feihe
A1  - Zhang, Zibin
A1  - Heyda, Jan
A1  - Dzubiella, Joachim
A1  - Antonietti, Markus
A1  - Yuan, Jiayin
T1  - An instant multi-responsive porous polymer actuator driven by solvent molecule sorption
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Fast actuation speed, large-shape deformation and robust responsiveness are critical to synthetic soft actuators. A simultaneous optimization of all these aspects without trade-offs remains unresolved. Here we describe porous polymer actuators that bend in response to acetone vapour (24 kPa, 20 degrees C) at a speed of an order of magnitude faster than the state-of-the-art, coupled with a large-scale locomotion. They are meanwhile multi-responsive towards a variety of organic vapours in both the dry and wet states, thus distinctive from the traditional gel actuation systems that become inactive when dried. The actuator is easy-to-make and survives even after hydrothermal processing (200 degrees C, 24 h) and pressing-pressure (100 MPa) treatments. In addition, the beneficial responsiveness is transferable, being able to turn 'inert' objects into actuators through surface coating. This advanced actuator arises from the unique combination of porous morphology, gradient structure and the interaction between solvent molecules and actuator materials.
Y1  - 2014
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5293
SN  - 2041-1723
VL  - 5
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  -