STIR: Active Polymer Micro-Constructs
Abstract
We have developed temperature-responsive 3-D actuating hydrogel microstructures based on lithographically-patterned photo-crosslinkable poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) copolymers. In one approach, a bilayer gel microstructure is constructed by joining together patterned layers of chemically distinct polymers with differing propensities to swell when placed in water. In a second approach, a single copolymer is used, but the duration of exposure to UV light (365 nm) is spatially varied, leading to lateral patterning of the crosslink density of the polymer network, and therefore its degree of swelling. In either case, the swelling of the more expansive elements is constrained by the presence of the less expansive elements, generating swelling stresses within the 2-D patterned hydrogel film, driving deformation into a 3-D microstructure that actuates in response to changes in temperature.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 16, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA516059
Entities
People
- Jinhwan Yoon
- Jungwook Kim
- Ryan C Hayward
Organizations
- University of Massachusetts Amherst