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-isopropyl acrylamide) (NIPAM)-Laponite nanocomposite layer with an LCST-type volume phase change. Due to the complementary UCST and LCST behavior of the two selected polymers, both layers have opposite thermoresponsive swelling and shrinkage properties at low and high temperatures; this imbues the hydrogel actuator with rapid thermoresponsive bending and recovery ability, as well as a large bending angle. In addition, the incorporation of Laponite nanosheets in PNIPAM layer not only improves the mechanical property of actuators but also provides the excellent bonding ability of the two-layer interface, which prevents delamination caused by excessive local stress on the interface during the bending process. Thanks to high-performance behavior, the actuator can act as an effective and sensitive actuator, such as a gripper to capture, transport, and release an object, or as an electrical circuit switch to turn on and off a light-emitting diode (LED). Overall, such hydrogel actuator may provide new insights for the design and fabrication of artificial intelligence materials.
Li et al. (Tue,) studied this question.