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Anisotropic Bi-Layer Hydrogel Actuator with pH-Responsive Color-Changing and Photothermal-Responsive Shape-Changing Bi-Functional Synergy
- Source :
- Gels, Vol 9, Iss 6, p 438 (2023)
- Publication Year :
- 2023
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2023.
-
Abstract
- Stimuli-responsive color-changing and shape-changing hydrogels are promising intelligent materials for visual detections and bio-inspired actuations, respectively. However, it is still an early stage to integrate the color-changing performance and shape-changing performance together to provide bi-functional synergistic biomimetic devices, which are difficult to design but will greatly expand further applications of intelligent hydrogels. Herein, we present an anisotropic bi-layer hydrogel by combining a pH-responsive rhodamine-B (RhB)-functionalized fluorescent hydrogel layer and a photothermal-responsive shape-changing melanin-added poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel layer with fluorescent color-changing and shape-changing bi-functional synergy. This bi-layer hydrogel can obtain fast and complex actuations under irradiation with 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) light due to both the melanin-composited PNIPAM hydrogel with high efficiency of photothermal conversion and the anisotropic structure of this bi-hydrogel. Furthermore, the RhB-functionalized fluorescent hydrogel layer can provide rapid pH-responsive fluorescent color change, which can be integrated with NIR-responsive shape change to achieve bi-functional synergy. As a result, this bi-layer hydrogel can be designed using various biomimetic devices, which can show the actuating process in the dark for real-time tracking and even mimetic starfish to synchronously change both the color and shape. This work provides a new bi-layer hydrogel biomimetic actuator with color-changing and shape-changing bi-functional synergy, which will inspire new strategies for other intelligent composite materials and high-level biomimetic devices.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 23102861
- Volume :
- 9
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Gels
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.10b687fe3b4f4bec9da1a8645f658600
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9060438