Stimulus-driven liquid metal and liquid crystal network actuators for programmable soft robotics

Pengfei Lv; Xiao Yang; Hari Krishna Bisoyi; Hao Zeng; Xuan Zhang; Yuanhao Chen; Pan Xue; Shukuan Shi; Arri Priimagi; Ling Wang; Wei Feng; Quan Li

doi:10.1039/D1MH00623A

Stimulus-driven liquid metal and liquid crystal network actuators for programmable soft robotics†

Pengfei Lv,‡^a Xiao Yang,‡^a Hari Krishna Bisoyi,

‡^b Hao Zeng,^c Xuan Zhang,^a Yuanhao Chen,^a Pan Xue,^a Shukuan Shi,^a Arri Priimagi,

^c Ling Wang,

*^a Wei Feng

*^ade and Quan Li

*^bf

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China
E-mail: lwang17@tju.edu.cn, weifeng@tju.edu.cn

^b Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA

^c Smart Photonic Materials, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33101, Finland

^d Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China

^e Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Mold, Ministry of Education, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

^f Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
E-mail: quanli3273@gmail.com, qli1@kent.edu

Abstract

Sophisticated soft matter engineering has been endorsed as an emerging paradigm for developing untethered soft robots with built-in electronic functions and biomimetic adaptation capacities. However, the integration of flexible electronic components into soft robotic actuators is challenging due to strain mismatch and material incompatibilities. Herein, we report a general strategy to integrate electrically conductive liquid metals (LMs) and shape-morphing liquid crystal networks (LCNs) towards multifunctional and programmable soft robotics. A unique colloidal LM ink with superior adhesion and photothermal conversion efficiency was judiciously designed and fabricated by ultrasonicating LMs and miniature carboxylated gold nanorods (MiniGNR-COOH) in an aqueous suspension of biological bacterial cellulose. The designed nanocellulose-based colloidal LM ink is used for shape-deformable and electrically conductive LM–LCN soft robots that can be electro- and photo-thermally actuated. As proof-of-concept demonstrations, we present a light-fueled soft oscillator, an inchworm-inspired soft crawler and programmable robotic Shadow Play exhibiting multifunctional controllability. The strategy disclosed here could open up a new technological arena for advanced multifunctional soft materials with potential utility in bioinspired soft machines, integrated soft electronics, human–computer interaction and beyond.

This article is part of the themed collections: Materials Horizons 10th anniversary regional spotlight collection: The Americas and Materials Horizons 10th anniversary regional spotlight collection: China

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Stimulus-driven liquid metal and liquid crystal network actuators for programmable soft robotics†

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Stimulus-driven liquid metal and liquid crystal network actuators for programmable soft robotics

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