Simple Synthesis of Elastomeric Photomechanical Switches That Self‐Heal
Abstract
This article introduces a simple two‐stage method to synthesize and program a photomechanical elastomer (PME) for light‐driven artificial muscle‐like actuations in soft robotics. First, photochromic azobenzene molecules are covalently attached to a polyurethane backbone via a two‐part step‐growth polymerization. Next, mechanical alignment is applied to induce anisotropic deformations in the PME‐actuating films. Cross‐linked through dynamic hydrogen bonds, the PMEs also possess autonomic self‐healing properties without external energy input. This self‐healing allows for a single alignment step of the PME film and subsequent “cut and paste” assembly for multi‐axis actuation of a self‐folded soft‐robotic gripper from a single degree of freedom optical input.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 02, 2019
- Source ID
- 10.1002/marc.201800815
Entities
People
- Emmanuel P. Giannelis
- Hedan Bai
- Kaiyang Wang
- Lennard W. Wiesner
- Robert F Shepherd
- Shuo Li
- Wenyang Pan
- Yaqi Tu
- Yusuke Hibi
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Cornell University
- Division of Materials Research
- Office of Naval Research