From Nature to Technology: Exploring Bioinspired Polymer Actuators via Electrospinning.

Nature has always been a source of inspiration for the development of novel materials and devices. In particular, polymer actuators that mimic the movements and functions of natural organisms have been of great interest due to their potential applications in various fields, such as biomedical engineering, soft robotics, and energy harvesting. During recent years, the development and actuation performance of electrospun fibrous meshes with the advantages of high permeability, surface area, and easy functional modification, has received extensive attention from researchers. This review covers the recent progress in the state-of-the-art electrospun actuators based on commonly used polymers such as stimuli-sensitive hydrogels, shape-memory polymers (SMPs), and electroactive polymers. The design strategies inspired by nature such as hierarchical systems, layered structures, and responsive interfaces to enhance the performance and functionality of these actuators, including the role of biomimicry to create devices that mimic the behavior of natural organisms, are discussed. Finally, the challenges and future directions in the field, with a focus on the development of more efficient and versatile electrospun polymer actuators which can be used in a wide range of applications, are addressed. The insights gained from this review can contribute to the development of advanced and multifunctional actuators with improved performance and expanded application possibilities.

4D Printing of Electroactive Triple-Shape Composites.

Triple-shape polymers can memorize two independent shapes during a controlled recovery process. This work reports the 4D printing of electro-active triple-shape composites based on thermoplastic blends. Composite blends comprising polyester urethane (PEU), polylactic acid (PLA), and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as conductive fillers were prepared by conventional melt processing methods. Morphological analysis of the composites revealed a phase separated morphology with aggregates of MWCNTs uniformly dispersed in the blend. Thermal analysis showed two different transition temperatures based on the melting point of the crystallizable switching domain of the PEU (Tm~50 ± 1 °C) and the glass transition temperature of amorphous PLA (Tg~61 ± 1 °C). The composites were suitable for 3D printing by fused filament fabrication (FFF). 3D models based on single or multiple materials were printed to demonstrate and quantify the triple-shape effect. The resulting parts were subjected to resistive heating by passing electric current at different voltages. The printed demonstrators were programmed by a thermo-mechanical programming procedure and the triple-shape effect was realized by increasing the voltage in a stepwise fashion. The 3D printing of such electroactive composites paves the way for more complex shapes with defined geometries and novel methods for triggering shape memory, with potential applications in space, robotics, and actuation technologies.

Matching Magnetic Heating and Thermal Actuation for Sequential Coupling in Hybrid Composites by Design.

Sequentially coupling two material functions requires matching the output from the first with the input of the second function. Here, magnetic heating controls thermal actuation of a hybrid composite in a challenging system environment causing an elevated level of heat loss. The concept is a hierarchical design consisting of an inner actuator of nanocomposite material, which can be remotely heated by exposure to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) and outer layers of a porous composite system with a closed pore morphology. These porous layers act as heat insulators and as barriers to the surrounding water. By exposure to the AMF, a local bulk temperature of 71 °C enables the magnetic actuation of the device, while the temperature of the surrounding water is kept below 50 °C. Interestingly, the heat loss during magnetic heating leads to an increase of the water phase (small volume) temperature. The temperature increase is able to sequentially trigger an adjacent thermal actuator attached to the actuator composite. In this way it could be demonstrated how the AMF is able to initiate two kinds of independent actuations, which might be interesting for robotics operating in aqueous environments.

Ultrasonic Cavitation Induced Shape-Memory Effect in Porous Polymer Networks.

Inspired by the application of ultrasonic cavitation based mechanical force (CMF) to open small channels in natural soft materials (skin or tissue), it is explored whether an artificial polymer network can be created, in which shape-changes can be induced by CMF. This concept comprises an interconnected macroporous rhodium-phosphine (Rh-P) coordination polymer network, in which a CMF can reversibly dissociate the Rh-P microphases. In this way, the ligand exchange of Rh-P coordination bonds in the polymer network is accelerated, resulting in a topological rearrangement of molecular switches. This rearrangement of molecular switches enables the polymer network to release internal tension under ultrasound exposure, resulting in a CMF-induced shape-memory capability. The interconnected macroporous structure with thin pore walls is essential for allowing the CMF to effectively permeate throughout the polymer network. Potential applications of this CMF-induced shape-memory polymer can be mechanosensors or ultrasound controlled switches.

Multifunctional hybrid nanocomposites with magnetically controlled reversible shape-memory effect.

Magneto-sensitivity and a thermo-sensitive reversible shape-memory effect have been successfully integrated into a hybrid nanocomposite, resulting in a magnetically controlled actuator. The complex requirements for gaining this multifunctionality are fulfilled by combining netpoints on the molecular and nano level in a polyesterurethane network prepared from hydroxyl group decorated magnetic nanoparticles, crystallizable star-shaped poly(ω-pentadecalactone) precursors, and a diisocyanate.

Memory-effects of magnetic nanocomposites.

The thermally induced shape memory effect (SME) is the capability of a material to fix a temporary (deformed) shape and recover a 'memorized' permanent shape in response to heat. SMEs in polymers have enabled a variety of applications including deployable space structures, biomedical devices, adaptive optical devices, smart dry adhesives and fasteners. By the incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles (mNP) into shape-memory polymer (SMP), a magnetically controlled SME has been realized. Magnetic actuation of nanocomposites enables remotely controlled devices based on SMP, which might be useful in medical technology, e.g. remotely controlled catheters or drug delivery systems. Here, an overview of the recent advances in the field of magnetic actuation of SMP is presented. Special emphasis is given on the magnetically controlled recovery of SMP with one switching temperature T(sw) (dual-shape effect) or with two T(sw)s (triple-shape effect). The use of magnetic field to change the apparent switching temperature (T(sw,app)) of the dual or triple-shape nanocomposites is described. Finally, the capability of magnetic nanocomposites to remember the magnetic field strength (H) initially used to deform the sample (magnetic-memory effect) is addressed. The distinguished advantages of magnetic heating over conventional heating methods make these multifunctional nanocomposites attractive candidates for in vivo applications.

Multifunctional shape-memory polymers.

The thermally-induced shape-memory effect (SME) is the capability of a material to change its shape in a predefined way in response to heat. In shape-memory polymers (SMP) this shape change is the entropy-driven recovery of a mechanical deformation, which was obtained before by application of external stress and was temporarily fixed by formation of physical crosslinks. The high technological significance of SMP becomes apparent in many established products (e.g., packaging materials, assembling devices, textiles, and membranes) and the broad SMP development activities in the field of biomedical as well as aerospace applications (e.g., medical devices or morphing structures for aerospace vehicles). Inspired by the complex and diverse requirements of these applications fundamental research is aiming at multifunctional SMP, in which SME is combined with additional functions and is proceeding rapidly. In this review different concepts for the creation of multifunctionality are derived from the various polymer network architectures of thermally-induced SMP. Multimaterial systems, such as nanocomposites, are described as well as one-component polymer systems, in which independent functions are integrated. Future challenges will be to transfer the concept of multifunctionality to other emerging shape-memory technologies like light-sensitive SMP, reversible shape changing effects or triple-shape polymers.