TY - JOUR
T1 - 2D-Material-integrated hydrogels as multifunctional protective skins for soft robots
AU - Jing, Lin
AU - Hsiao, Li Yin
AU - Li, Shuo
AU - Yang, Haitao
AU - Ng, Patricia Li Ping
AU - Ding, Meng
AU - Truong, Tien Van
AU - Gao, Si Ping
AU - Li, Kerui
AU - Guo, Yong Xin
AU - Valdivia Y Alvarado, Pablo
AU - Chen, Po Yen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Royal Society of Chemistry.
PY - 2021/7
Y1 - 2021/7
N2 - Soft robots provide compliant object-machine interactions, but they exhibit insufficient material stability, which restricts them from working in harsh environments. Herein, we developed a class of soft robotic skins based on two-dimensional materials (2DMs) and gelatin hydrogels, featuring skin-like multifunctionality (stretchability, thermoregulation, threat protection, and strain sensing). The 2DM-integrated hydrogel (2DM/H) skins enabled soft robots to execute designated missions in the presence of high levels of heat and various environmental threats while maintaining mild machine temperatures. Via adopting different 2DMs (graphene oxide (GO), montmorillonite (MMT), and titanium carbide (MXene)), the 2DM/H-protected robots were able to perform soft grasping in organic liquids (GO/H) and open fire (MMT/H), and in the presence of electromagnetic radiation and biocontamination (MXene/H). Through blending MXene nanosheets into gelatin, the MXene-blended hydrogel (M-H) skin became strain sensitive, and a GO/M-H gripper exhibited the high-level integration of skin-mimicking capabilities. Finally, we incorporated 2DM/H skins onto an origami-inspired walker robot and a soft batoid-like robot to execute vision-guided searching in fire and underwater locomotion/navigation in chemical spills.
AB - Soft robots provide compliant object-machine interactions, but they exhibit insufficient material stability, which restricts them from working in harsh environments. Herein, we developed a class of soft robotic skins based on two-dimensional materials (2DMs) and gelatin hydrogels, featuring skin-like multifunctionality (stretchability, thermoregulation, threat protection, and strain sensing). The 2DM-integrated hydrogel (2DM/H) skins enabled soft robots to execute designated missions in the presence of high levels of heat and various environmental threats while maintaining mild machine temperatures. Via adopting different 2DMs (graphene oxide (GO), montmorillonite (MMT), and titanium carbide (MXene)), the 2DM/H-protected robots were able to perform soft grasping in organic liquids (GO/H) and open fire (MMT/H), and in the presence of electromagnetic radiation and biocontamination (MXene/H). Through blending MXene nanosheets into gelatin, the MXene-blended hydrogel (M-H) skin became strain sensitive, and a GO/M-H gripper exhibited the high-level integration of skin-mimicking capabilities. Finally, we incorporated 2DM/H skins onto an origami-inspired walker robot and a soft batoid-like robot to execute vision-guided searching in fire and underwater locomotion/navigation in chemical spills.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85109208800&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1039/d0mh01594f
DO - 10.1039/d0mh01594f
M3 - Article
C2 - 34846484
AN - SCOPUS:85109208800
SN - 2051-6347
VL - 8
SP - 2065
EP - 2078
JO - Materials Horizons
JF - Materials Horizons
IS - 7
ER -