Self-powered soft robot in the Mariana Trench.

The deep sea remains the largest unknown territory on Earth because it is so difficult to explore1-4. Owing to the extremely high pressure in the deep sea, rigid vessels5-7 and pressure-compensation systems8-10 are typically required to protect mechatronic systems. However, deep-sea creatures that lack bulky or heavy pressure-tolerant systems can thrive at extreme depths11-17. Here, inspired by the structure of a deep-sea snailfish15, we develop an untethered soft robot for deep-sea exploration, with onboard power, control and actuation protected from pressure by integrating electronics in a silicone matrix. This self-powered robot eliminates the requirement for any rigid vessel. To reduce shear stress at the interfaces between electronic components, we decentralize the electronics by increasing the distance between components or separating them from the printed circuit board. Careful design of the dielectric elastomer material used for the robot's flapping fins allowed the robot to be actuated successfully in a field test in the Mariana Trench down to a depth of 10,900 metres and to swim freely in the South China Sea at a depth of 3,224 metres. We validate the pressure resilience of the electronic components and soft actuators through systematic experiments and theoretical analyses. Our work highlights the potential of designing soft, lightweight devices for use in extreme conditions.

Tough and fatigue-resistant polymer networks by crack tip softening.

Soft materials fail by crack propagation under external loads. While fracture toughness of a soft material can be enhanced by orders of magnitude, its fatigue threshold remains insusceptible. In this work, we demonstrate a crack tip softening (CTS) concept to simultaneously improve the toughness and threshold of a single polymeric network. Polyacrylamide hydrogels have been selected as a model material. The polymer network is cured by two kinds of crosslinkers: a normal crosslinker and a light-degradable crosslinker. We characterize the pristine sample and light-treated sample by shear modulus, fracture toughness, fatigue threshold, and fractocohesive length. Notably, we apply light at the crack tip of a sample so that the light-sensitive crosslinkers degrade, resulting in a CTS sample with a softer and elastic crack tip. The pristine sample has a fracture toughness of 748.3 ± 15.19 J/m2 and a fatigue threshold of 9.3 J/m2. By comparison, the CTS sample has a fracture toughness of 2,774.6 ± 127.14 J/m2 and a fatigue threshold of 33.8 J/m2. Both fracture toughness and fatigue threshold have been enhanced by about four times. We attribute this simultaneous enhancement to stress de-concentration and elastic shielding at the crack tip. Different from the "fiber/matrix composite" concept and the "crystallization at the crack tip" concept, the CTS concept in the present work provides another option to simultaneously enhance the toughness and threshold, which improves the reliability of soft devices during applications.

Study of non-uniform axial magnetic field induced deformation of a soft cylindrical magneto-active actuator.

Magneto-active polymers (MAPs) can undergo rapid and noticeable deformation through external wireless magnetic stimulation, offering a possibility to develop potential applications such as in actuators, flexible micro-grippers, soft robots, etc. In this paper, a theoretical model is presented to depict the relationship between nonlinear deformation and the external mechanical load applied on cylindrical samples in the presence of magnetic fields generated by an electromagnet. The geometrical and electromagnetic properties of the electromagnet are explicitly modeled in COMSOL Multiphysics based on the measured data. Furthermore, a finite element model is constructed to obtain detailed information (such as strain field), which cannot be obtained in experiments. The theoretical and simulation results fit quite well with the experimental results, showing the accuracy of the model construction. The proposed designing approach and model provide guidelines for researchers to enrich the applications of MAPs.

Prescribing patterns in growing tubular soft matter by initial residual stress.

Initial residual stress is omnipresent in biological tissues and soft matter, and can affect growth-induced pattern selection significantly. Here we demonstrate this effect experimentally by letting soft tubes grow in the presence or absence of initial residual stress and by observing different growth pattern evolutions. These experiments motivate us to model the mechanisms at play when a growing bilayer tubular organ spontaneously displays buckling patterns on its inner surface. We demonstrate that not only differential growth, geometry and elasticity, but also initial residual stress distribution, exert a notable influence on these pattern phenomena. Prescribing an initial residual stress distribution offers an alternative or a more effective way to implement pattern selection for growable bio-tissues or soft matter. The results also show promise for the design of 4D bio-mimic printing protocols or for controlling hydrogel actuators.

Synthesis and controlled morphology of Ni@Ag core shell nanowires with excellent catalytic efficiency and recyclability.

Ni@Ag core shell nanowires (NWs) were prepared by in situ chemical reduction of Ag+ around NiNWs as the inner core. Different Ni@Ag NWs with controllable morphologies were achieved through the layer-plus-island growth mode and this mechanism was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. When used as a catalyst, the synthesized Ni@Ag NWs exhibited high reduction efficiency by showing a high reaction rate constant k of 0.408 s-1 in reducing 4-nitrophenol at room temperature. Besides, combining the magnetic property, including high saturation magnetization and low coercivity, the magnetic NiNW core contributes to excellent recyclability and long-term stability with only a 2.2% performance loss after 10 recycles by magnets. The Ni@Ag NWs proposed here show unprecedentedly high potential in applications requiring high efficiency and a recyclable catalyst.

Recent Advances in Stretchable Supercapacitors Enabled by Low-Dimensional Nanomaterials.

Supercapacitors (SCs) have shown great potential for mobile energy storage technology owing to their long-term durability, electrochemical stability, structural simplicity, as well as exceptional power density without much compromise in the energy density and cycle life parameters. As a result, stretchable SC devices have been incorporated in a variety of emerging electronics applications ranging from wearable electronic textiles to microrobots to integrated energy systems. In this review, the recent progress and achievements in the field of stretchable SCs enabled by low-dimensional nanomaterials such as polypyrrole, carbon nanotubes, and graphene are presented. First, the three major categories of stretchable supercapacitors are discussed: double-layer supercapacitors, pseudo-supercapacitors, and hybrid supercapacitors. Then, the representative progress in developing stretchable electrodes with low-dimensional (0D, 1D, and 2D) nanomaterials is described. Next, the design strategies enabling the stretchability of the devices, including the wavy-shape design, wire-shape design, textile-shape design, kirigami-shape design, origami-shape design, and serpentine bridge-island design are emphasized, with the aim of improving the electrochemical performance under the complex stretchability conditions that may be encountered in practical applications. Finally, the newest developments, major challenges, and outlook in the field of stretchable SC development and manufacturing are discussed.

Stretch tuning of the Debye ring for 2D photonic crystals on a dielectric elastomer membrane.

The tunable diffracted pattern (Debye ring) of the well-ordered close-packed 2D photonic crystal (PC) is achieved via large deformation of the dielectric elastomer (DE) membrane for the first time. Two deformation models are proposed, the in-plane deformation driven by voltage and the out-of-plane deformation actuated by pressure. Both experimental and theoretical analyses are conducted to explore the tunability of the DE stretch on the Debye ring of the 2D PC, by voltage and pressure. An excellent agreement is found between the experimental and analytical results. This study shows that tuning the size of the Debye ring by voltage driven in-plane deformation is easy to operate and space-saving. However, it needs a high voltage and the adjustable range is relatively small. On the other hand, the pneumatic tuning by out-of-plane deformation has a widely adjustable range compared with the electric one and the pressure needed is only hundreds to less than two thousand pascal, which is energy-saving. This work may pave the way for the design of various smart sensors and soft displays with the combination of PCs and DEs.

Mechanical characterization and modeling of sponge-reinforced hydrogel composites under compression.

Load-bearing applications of hydrogels call for materials with excellent mechanical properties. Despite the considerable progress in developing tough hydrogels, there is still a requirement to prepare high-performance hydrogels using simple strategies. In this paper, a sponge-reinforced hydrogel composite is synthesized by combining poly(acrylamide) (PAAm) hydrogel and polyurethane (PU) sponge. Uniaxial compressive testing of the hydrogel composites reveals that both the compressive modulus and the strength of the hydrogel composites are much higher than those of the PAAm hydrogel or sponge. In order to predict the compressive modulus of the hydrogel composite, we develop a theoretical model that is validated by experiments and numerical simulations. The present work may guide the design and manufacture of hydrogel-based composite materials, especially for biomaterial scaffolds and soft transducers.

Nucleation and propagation of voltage-driven wrinkles in an inflated dielectric elastomer balloon.

Dielectric elastomer (DE) transducers frequently undergo voltage-induced large deformation, which may lead to mechanical instabilities. Here, we investigate wrinkle formation and propagation on the surface of a DE membrane mounted on an air chamber and subjected to a step voltage. Our experiments show that the geometric characteristics of the wrinkle morphology and the nucleation sites depend on the inflation pressure and the applied voltage. As the inflation pressure increases, the critical voltage used to nucleate the wrinkle decreases, while the location where the wrinkle nucleates shifts from the center to the boundary of the membrane. Moreover, by increasing the amplitude of the applied voltage, wrinkle morphology changes from stripe-like wrinkles to labyrinth-like wrinkles. Furthermore, we develop an analytical model to validate the experimental observations and map out the various wrinkle morphologies as a function of the applied pressure and voltage. A three dimensional phase diagram is constructed to help design new soft actuators.

A phase-field study of the scaling law in free-standing ferroelectric thin films.

The scaling law for ferroelectric stripe domains is investigated in free-standing BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 thin films via phase-field simulations. The results agree with the Kittel law, where the square of the domain width is found to be proportional to the thin film thickness. After being rescaled by the corresponding domain wall thickness, the generalized scaling law is also demonstrated, with the dimensionless scaling constant M estimated to be ∼3.3 in two ferroelectric materials. Moreover, we predict the effect of the exchange constant which is incorporated in Ginzburg-Landau theory on the equilibrium domain width and the critical thickness of the ferroelectric thin films.

Mechanical properties of nickel-graphene composites synthesized by electrochemical deposition.

Graphene (Gr) nanosheets with multilayer structures were dispersed in a nickel (Ni) plating solution by using a surfactant with a magnetic stirring method. Gr nanosheets were incorporated into a Ni matrix through a plating process to form Ni-Gr composites on a target substrate. Gr nanosheets were uniformly dispersed in the Ni matrix, and the oxygen radicals present in the Gr were reduced during the electro-deposition process. The incorporation of Gr in the Ni matrix increases both the inter-planar spacing and the degree of preferred orientation of crystalline Ni. With the addition of Gr content as low as 0.05 g L(-1), the elastic modulus and hardness of the Ni-Gr composites reach 240 GPa and 4.6 GPa, respectively, which are about 1.7 and 1.2 times that of the pure Ni deposited under the same condition. The enhancement in mechanical properties of the composites is attributed to the preferred formation of the Ni crystalline phases in its (111) plane, the high interaction between Ni and Gr and the prevention of the dislocation sliding in the Ni matrix by the Gr. The results suggest that the method of using Gr directly instead of graphene oxide (GO) is efficient and scalable.

A jogged dislocation governed strengthening mechanism in nanotwinned metals.

Atomistic simulations reveal a new and unique strengthening mechanism in nanotwinned metals governed by the collective motion of multiple necklace-like extended jogged dislocations. This mechanism prevails in a columnar-grained nanotwinned metal subject to an external stress parallel to the twin planes, provided the twin boundary spacing falls below a critical value. A theoretical model based on the depinning of unit jogs on twin planes is proposed to determine the flow stress associated with this deformation mechanism and is shown to be in agreement with atomistic simulations.

A novel intraocular pressure predicting method based on hyperelastic mechanical model of cornea.

Measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) is crucial and remains challenging in diagnosing glaucoma, as it is associated with cornea deformation during inflation. In this study, a three-dimensional analytical model based on hyperelastic constitutive relationship to predict correlation between cornea vertex displacement and the IOP is proposed. The analytical model is validated by rigorous experiments. Rabbit corneas were selected for this study and their mechanical properties were obtained using uniaxial tensile tests. To mimic the environment in which the cornea exists, an artificial anterior chamber equipped with water-injection pipelines was constructed to study the relationship between the corneal vertex displacement with IOP value in practical situation. The experimental results of rabbits corneas prove that the IOP can be deduced based on the measured corneal vertex displacement by the analytical model. Furthermore, subtle difference occurs when comparing the calculated human IOPs with those measured by medical equipment, demonstrating that the proposed method is suitable for monitoring the IOP of human. This novel IOP predicting method provides new inspiration for the design of eyepieces, as well as the preoperative preparation for laser surgery and evaluation of corneal damage.

Designing Ultratough Single-Network Hydrogels with Centimeter-Scale Fractocohesive Lengths via Inelastic Crack Blunting.

Fractocohesive length, defined as the ratio of fracture toughness to work of fracture, measures the sensitivity of materials to fracture in the presence of flaws. The larger the fractocohesive length, the more flaw-tolerant and crack-resistant the hydrogel. For synthetic soft materials, the fractocohesive length is short, often on the scale of 1 mm. Here, highly flaw-insensitive (HFI) single-network hydrogels containing an entangled inhomogeneous polymer network of widely distributed chain lengths are designed. The HFI hydrogels demonstrate a centimeter-scale fractocohesive length of 2.21 cm, which is the highest ever recorded for synthetic hydrogels, and an unprecedented fracture toughness of ≈13 300 J m-2. The uncommon flaw insensitivity results from the inelastic crack blunting inherent to the highly inhomogeneous network. When the HFI hydrogel is stretched, a large number of short chains break while coiled long chains can disentangle, unwind, and straighten, producing large inelastic deformation that substantially blunts the crack tip in a plastic manner, thereby deconcentrating crack-tip stresses and blocking crack extension. The flaw-insensitive design strategy is applicable to various hydrogels such as polyacrylamide and poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) hydrogels and enables the development of HFI soft composites.

Characterization of mechanical stress in the occurrence of cortical opacification in age-related cataracts using three-dimensional finite element model of the human lens and RNA-seq.

Cataract is the leading cause of blindness across the world. Age-related cataract (ARC) is the most common type of cataract, but its pathogenesis is not fully understood. Using three-dimensional finite element modeling combining experimental biotechnology, our study demonstrates that external forces during accommodation cause mechanical stress predominantly in lens cortex, basically matching the localization of opacities in cortical ARCs. We identified the cellular senescence and upregulation of PIEZO1 mRNA in HLECs under mechanical stretch. This mechano-induced senescence in HLECs might be mediated by PIEZO1-related pathways, portraying a potential biomechanical cause of cortical ARCs. Our study updates the fundamental insight towards cataractogenesis, paving the way for further exploration of ARCs pathogenesis and nonsurgical treatment.

A Bayesian method with nonlinear noise model to calibrate constitutive parameters of soft tissue.

The measured mechanical responses of soft tissue exhibit large variability and errors, especially for the softest brain tissue, while calibrating its constitutive parameters in a deterministic way remains a common practice. Here we implement a Bayesian method considering the nonlinear noise model to calibrate constitutive parameters of brain tissue. A probability model is first developed based on the measured experimental data, likelihood function, and prior function, from which the posterior distributions of model parameters are formulated. The likelihood function considers the nonlinear behaviors of the constitutive response and noise distribution of the experimentally measured data. Meanwhile, the prior predictive distribution is computed to check the probability model preliminarily. Secondly, the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method is used to compute the posterior distributions of model parameters, enabling assessment of parameter uncertainty, correlation, and model calibration error. Finally, the posterior predictive distributions of the overall response, constitutive response, and noise response are computed to validate the probabilistic model, all of which are consistent with the corresponding data. Furthermore, the effect of the prior distribution, experimental data, and noise model on posterior distribution is studied. Our study provides a general approach to calibrating constitutive parameters of soft tissue despite errors and large variability in experimental data.

Wireless Rehabilitation Training Sensor Arrays Made with Hot Screen-Imprinted Conductive Hydrogels with a Low Percolation Threshold.

Herein, we propose a highly sensitive wireless rehabilitation training ball with a piezoresistive sensor array for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The piezoresistive material is a low percolation threshold conductive hydrogel which is formed with polypyrrole (PPy) nanofibers (NFs) as a conductive filler derived from a polydopamine (PDA) template. The proton acid doping effect and molecular template of PDA are essential for endowing PPy NFs with a high aspect ratio, leading to a low percolation threshold (∼0.78 vol %) and a low Young's 004Dodulus of 37.69 kPa and hence easy deformation. The piezoresistive sensor exhibited a static and dynamic stability of 10,000 s and 15,000 cycle times, respectively. This stability could be attributed to the increased hydrophilicity of conductive fillers, enhancing the interfacial strength between the conductive filler and the matrix. The interaction between the PDA-PPy NFs and the hydrogel matrix endows the hydrogel with toughness and ensures the stability of the device. Additionally, the microdome structure of the conductive hydrogel, produced by hot screen-imprinting, dramatically improves the sensitivity of the piezoresistive sensor (∼856.14 kPa-1). The microdome conductive hydrogel can distinguish a subtle pressure of 15.40 Pa compared to the control hydrogel without a microstructure. The highly sensitive piezoresistive sensor has the potential to monitor the hand-grip force, which is not well controlled by patients with PD. The rehabilitation training ball assembled with a sensor array on the surface and a wireless chip for communication inside is built and used to monitor the pressure in real time through the WeChat applet. Thus, this work has significantly broadened the application of hydrogel-based flexible piezoresistive sensors for human activity monitoring, which provides a promising strategy to realize next-generation electronics.

A versatile hydrogel network-repairing strategy achieved by the covalent-like hydrogen bond interaction.

Hydrogen bond engineering is widely exploited to impart stretchability, toughness, and self-healing capability to hydrogels. However, the enhancement effect of conventional hydrogen bonds is severely limited by their weak interaction strength. In nature, some organisms tolerate extreme conditions due to the strong hydrogen bond interactions induced by trehalose. Here, we report a trehalose network-repairing strategy achieved by the covalent-like hydrogen bonding interactions to improve the hydrogels' mechanical properties while simultaneously enabling them to tolerate extreme environmental conditions and retain synthetic simplicity, which proves to be useful for various kinds of hydrogels. The mechanical properties of trehalose-modified hydrogels including strength, stretchability, and fracture toughness are substantially enhanced under a wide range of temperatures. After dehydration, the modified hydrogels maintain their hyperelasticity and functions, while the unmodified hydrogels collapse. This strategy provides a versatile methodology for synthesizing extremotolerant, highly stretchable, and tough hydrogels, which expand their potential applications to various conditions.

Functional hydrogel coatings.

Hydrogels-natural or synthetic polymer networks that swell in water-can be made mechanically, chemically and electrically compatible with living tissues. There has been intense research and development of hydrogels for medical applications since the invention of hydrogel contact lenses in 1960. More recently, functional hydrogel coatings with controlled thickness and tough adhesion have been achieved on various substrates. Hydrogel-coated substrates combine the advantages of hydrogels, such as lubricity, biocompatibility and anti-biofouling properties, with the advantages of substrates, such as stiffness, toughness and strength. In this review, we focus on three aspects of functional hydrogel coatings: (i) applications and functions enabled by hydrogel coatings, (ii) methods of coating various substrates with different functional hydrogels with tough adhesion, and (iii) tests to evaluate the adhesion between functional hydrogel coatings and substrates. Conclusions and outlook are given at the end of this review.

3D Printing of Conductive Hydrogel-Elastomer Hybrids for Stretchable Electronics.

Electronically conductive hydrogels integrated with dielectric elastomers show great promise in a wide range of applications, such as biomedical devices, soft robotics, and stretchable electronics. However, one big conundrum that impedes the functionality and performance of hydrogel-elastomer-based devices lies in the strict demands of device integration and the requirements for devices with satisfactory mechanical and electrical properties. Herein, the digital light processing three-dimensional (3D) printing method is used to fabricate 3D functional devices that bridge submillimeter-scale device resolution to centimeter-scale object size and simultaneously realize complex hybrid structures with strong adhesion interfaces and desired functionalities. The interconnected poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) network endows the PAAm hydrogel with high conductivity and superior electrical stability and poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) functions as an insulating medium. The strong interfacial bonding between the hydrogel and elastomer is achieved by incomplete photopolymerization that ensures the stability of the hybrid structure. Lastly, applications of stretchable electronics illustrated as 3D-printed electroluminescent devices and 3D-printed capacitive sensors are conceptually demonstrated. This strategy will open up avenues to fabricate conductive hydrogel-elastomer hybrids in next-generation multifunctional stretchable electronics.