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Electro‐ionic artificial muscles, consisting of a configuration where an electrolyte membrane is flanked by two active electrodes, have emerged as transformative components in the field of soft robotics. Despite this, the current actuation performance falls short for many practical applications, because most existing electrode materials exhibit limitations in terms of their properties. Here, a multifunctional active electrode material is reported for an electro‐ionic artificial muscle, employing a triazine framework that incorporates 6,6′‐Dicyano‐2,2′‐bipyridyl (DCB‐TF). The multifunctional DCB‐TF boasts fully conjugated bonds, facilitating fast electron transfer, high porosity for ion accommodation, a substantial surface area of 1800 m2 g−1 for charge storage, numerous active sites for ion interactions, and complete aromatic rings contributing to stability. The application of DCB‐TF to the active electrodes in the electro‐ionic artificial muscles yields remarkable actuation performance, including a substantial bending displacement of 24 mm at 0.5 V and 0.2 Hz, a rapid response time of 2 s, and outstanding durability sustained over 3.4 million continuous cycles. Consequently, these soft actuators have enabled a dragonfly demonstration as a form of kinetic art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable research has been conducted on the application of functional nano‐fillers to enhance the power generation capabilities of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). However, these additives often exhibit a decrease in output power at higher concentration. Here, a Janus cobalt metal–organic framework‐SEBS (JCMS) membrane is reported as a dual‐purpose dielectric layer capable of efficiently capturing and blocking charges for high‐performance TENGs. The JCMS is produced asymmetrically through gravitational sedimentation, employing spherical CoMOFs within a diluted SEBS solution. Beyond its dual dielectric characteristics, the JCMS showcases exceptional mechanical durability, displaying notable stretchability of up to 475% and remarkable resilience when subjected to diverse mechanical pressures. Consequently, the JCMS‐TENG produces a maximum peak‐to‐peak voltage of 936 V, a current of 42.8 µA, and a power density of 10.89 W m−2 when exposed to an external force of 10 N at a 5 Hz frequency. This investigation highlights the potential of JCMS‐TENGs with unique structures, known for their exceptional energy harvesting capabilities, mechanical strength, and flexibility. Additionally, the promising prospects of easily produced asymmetric structures is emphasized with bifunctionalities for developing efficient and flexible MOFs‐based TENGs. These advancements are well‐suited for self‐powered wearables, rehabilitation devices, and energy harvesters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regular health checkups are crucial for the identification of problems in connection with acute and chronic diseases. Early detection helps patients prevent disease progression, receive more effective treatment, and improve their overall prognosis and quality of life. In this context, the introduction of cost‐effective, advanced sensor technology for the monitoring of healthcare is an essential and unavoidable approach. The present study proposes a disposable triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based sensor for a novel urination condition evaluation methodology that is integrated with an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm. The disposable TENG sensor is fabricated using chitosan‐covalent organic framework (CS‐NSCoF). The optimized CS‐NSCoF (4%) composite, in contact with fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), yields remarkable output performance metrics: a peak‐to‐peak voltage of 132 V, a short‐circuit current of ≈2.38 µA, and an average power density of 10.89 mW m−2 at a load resistance of 200 MΩ. Notably, biocompatibility assessments confirm the non‐toxic nature of the CS‐NSCoF sample in this investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electro‐ionic soft actuators, capable of continuous deformations replacing non‐compliant rigid mechanical components, attract increasing interest in the field of next‐generation metaverse interfaces and soft robotics. Here, a novel MXene (Ti3C2Tx) electrode anchoring manganese‐based 1,3,5‐benzenetricarboxylate metal‐organic framework (MnBTC) for ultrastable electro‐ionic artificial muscles is reported. By a facile supramolecular self‐assembly, the Ti3C2Tx‐MnBTC hybrid nanoarchitecture forms coordinate bond, hydrogen bond, and hydrophilic interaction with the conducting polymer of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), resulting in a mechanically flexible and electro‐ionically active electrode. The superior electrical and electrochemical performances of the electrode stem from the synergistic effects between intrinsically hierarchical nanoarchitecture of MnBTC and rapid electron transport behavior of Mxene, leading to fast diffusion and accommodation of ions in the ion‐exchangeable membrane. The developed artificial muscle based on Ti3C2Tx‐MnBTC is found to exhibit high bending displacement (12.5 mm) and ultrafast response time (0.77 s) under a low driving voltage (0.5 V), along with wide frequency response (0.1–10 Hz) and exceptional stability (98% retention at 43,200 s) without any distortion of actuation performance. Furthermore, the designed electro‐active artificial muscle is successfully used to demonstrate mimicry of eye motions including eyelid blinking and eyeball movement in a doll. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MXenes, a member of 2D inorganic compounds that contain few‐atom‐thick layers of transition metal carbides, nitrides, and polar surface functional groups, are extraordinary materials for many applications including stimuli‐responsive actuators. Here, an extensive review on MXene‐based actuators in comparison with other 2D materials‐based actuators is reported, highlighting the main differences in view of chemical structure, mechanical properties, and electrical functionalities. First, since MXenes are newcomers in the field of actuators, their properties are explained including cation and ionic liquid intercalation, high capacitance, good electrical and thermal conductivity, excellent electromagnetic wave absorption, hydrophilicity, and outstanding dispersion in many polar solvents. Second, electro‐ionic, electrochemical, electrothermal, photothermal, and humidity‐responsive MXene‐based actuators are comprehensively addressed with detailed actuation mechanisms, focusing on electro‐ionic soft actuators. Third, several applications of those actuators are summarized with an emphasis on soft robotics and future directions of MXene‐based actuators are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: artificial muscles; hybrids; metal organic frameworks; MXenes; synergetic couples EN artificial muscles hybrids metal organic frameworks MXenes synergetic couples 1 1 1 03/06/23 20230308 NES 230308 B Electroactive Artificial Muscles b In article number 2212252, Chi Won Ahn, Jaehwan, Il-Kwon Oh, and co-workers synthesize a fast responsive and ultra-stable electroactive artificial muscle from MXene anchoring manganese-based 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate metal-organic framework. Artificial muscles, hybrids, metal organic frameworks, MXenes, synergetic couples Metal Organic Framework-MXene Nanoarchitecture for Fast Responsive and Ultra-Stable Electro-Ionic Artificial Muscles (Adv. Funct. [Extracted from the article]