Soft crawling robots inspired by invertebrate reptiles: Fabricated with PNIPAM/MWCNTs composite hydrogel and driven by near-infrared light for multi-directional locomotion

IF 4.1 2区化学 Q2 POLYMER SCIENCE

Polymer Pub Date : 2025-04-18 DOI:10.1016/j.polymer.2025.128422

Qinghao Guo , Xuehao Feng , Zhizheng Gao , Xiangyu Teng , Zezheng Qiao , Chuang Zhang , Zhixing Ge , Wenguang Yang

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Abstract

Bioinspired crawling robots fabricated from flexible materials have received considerable attention in recent years. However, existing solutions for crawling robots capable of multi-directional locomotion primarily focus on the complex driving mode. This study explores invertebrate reptiles inspired soft crawling robots driven by near-infrared (NIR) light. A composite hydrogel with excellent photo-responsive properties is prepared by ingeniously combining poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The crawling robot, when driven by NIR light, achieves an average speed of 0.17 mm/s. It can perform complex tasks such as crawling along a predefined trajectory, crossing obstacles, and traversing mazes via remote control with NIR light. This design holds significant significance for advancing flexible crawling robots and provides valuable insights for the research of bionic robots driven by NIR light.

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来源期刊

Polymer 化学-高分子科学

CiteScore

7.90

自引率

8.70%

发文量

959

审稿时长

32 days

期刊介绍： Polymer is an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing innovative and significant advances in Polymer Physics, Chemistry and Technology. We welcome submissions on polymer hybrids, nanocomposites, characterisation and self-assembly. Polymer also publishes work on the technological application of polymers in energy and optoelectronics. The main scope is covered but not limited to the following core areas: Polymer Materials Nanocomposites and hybrid nanomaterials Polymer blends, films, fibres, networks and porous materials Physical Characterization Characterisation, modelling and simulation* of molecular and materials properties in bulk, solution, and thin films Polymer Engineering Advanced multiscale processing methods Polymer Synthesis, Modification and Self-assembly Including designer polymer architectures, mechanisms and kinetics, and supramolecular polymerization Technological Applications Polymers for energy generation and storage Polymer membranes for separation technology Polymers for opto- and microelectronics.