A new class of single-material, non-reciprocal microactuators

Tools

Maslen, Charlie and Gholamipour-Shirazi, Azarmidokht and Butler, Matthew D. and Kropacek, Jindrich and Rehor, Ivan and Montenegro-Johnson, Thomas (2023) A new class of single-material, non-reciprocal microactuators. Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 44 (6). p. 2200842. ISSN 1022-1336 (https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202200842)

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Abstract

A crucial component in designing soft actuating structures with controllable shape changes is programming internal, mismatching stresses. In this work, a new paradigm for achieving anisotropic dynamics between isotropic end-states—yielding a non-reciprocal shrinking/swelling response over a full actuation cycle—in a microscale actuator made of a single material, purely through microscale design is demonstrated. Anisotropic dynamics is achieved by incorporating micro-sized pores into certain segments of the structures; by arranging porous and non-porous segments (specifically, struts) into a 2D hexagonally-shaped microscopic poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) hydrogel particle, the rate of isotropic shrinking/swelling in the structure is locally modulated, generating global anisotropic, non-reciprocal, dynamics. A simple mathematical model is introduced that reveals the physics that underlies these dynamics. This design has the potential to be used as a foundational tool for inducing non-reciprocal actuation cycles with a single material structure, and enables new possibilities in producing customized soft actuators and modular anisotropic metamaterials for a range of real-world applications, such as artificial cilia.

ORCID iDs

Maslen, Charlie ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2995-0918, Gholamipour-Shirazi, Azarmidokht, Butler, Matthew D., Kropacek, Jindrich, Rehor, Ivan and Montenegro-Johnson, Thomas;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:89686
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    20 March 2023
    Published
    14 December 2022
    Published Online
    14 December 2022
    Accepted
    Subjects:Science > Chemistry
    Department:Faculty of Science > Pure and Applied Chemistry
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:21 Jun 2024 11:45
    Last modified:28 Nov 2024 02:44
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/89686
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