Synthetic polymer actuators have attracted increasing attention for their potential applications in artificial muscles, soft robotics and sensors. The majority of previous efforts have focused on smart hydrogels with bilayer structures that can change their shape in response to environmental stimuli, such as temperature, light and certain chemicals. However, the practical application of hydrogels is limited because of their low modulus and weak mechanical strength. Here we synthesized a robust monolithic actuator of a macro-scale hydro/organo binary cooperative Janus copolymer film. The process involves direct, one-step interfacial polymerization of immiscible hydrophilic and hydrophobic vinyl monomer solutions, and the resultant product exhibited binary cooperative shape transformation to multiple external stimuli. The Janus copolymer film can work in both aqueous solutions and organic solvents, with bidirectional and site-specific bending arising from cooperative asymmetric swelling/shrinking of the hydrogel and organogel networks. In addition, the as-prepared Janus copolymer film can act as a sensor element for solvent leakage detection. This binary cooperative strategy is applicable to most immiscible monomer systems and provides a general approach to developing novel functional copolymer materials.

中文翻译：

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通过界面共聚合成的整体式水/有机大分子共聚物致动器

合成聚合物致动器因其在人造肌肉，软机器人和传感器中的潜在应用而受到越来越多的关注。以前的大多数努力都集中在具有双层结构的智能水凝胶上，这种双层结构可以响应环境刺激（例如温度，光线和某些化学物质）而改变其形状。然而，由于水凝胶的低模量和弱的机械强度，其实际应用受到限制。在这里，我们合成了鲁棒的大型水力单片执行器/有机二元协作Janus共聚物薄膜。该方法涉及不混溶的亲水性和疏水性乙烯基单体溶液的直接一步聚合，并且所得产物表现出二元协同形状转化为多种外部刺激。Janus共聚物薄膜可以在水溶液和有机溶剂中起作用，并且由于水凝胶和有机凝胶网络的协同不对称溶胀/收缩而产生双向和特定位置的弯曲。另外，所制备的Janus共聚物膜可以用作用于溶剂泄漏检测的传感器元件。这种二元合作策略适用于大多数不混溶的单体系统，并为开发新型功能性共聚物材料提供了一种通用方法。