June 2024 | Jiahui Liu, Yun-Shuai Huang, Yazhi Liu, Dachuan Zhang, Kaloian Koynov, Hans-Jürgen Butt & Si Wu
This study presents a method for creating reconfigurable hydrogel assemblies with customizable functions using a photocontrolled metallopolymer adhesive. The adhesive, composed of a ruthenium-containing polymer and a thioether-containing polymer, allows for reversible bonding and disbonding of hydrogel units through heating and light irradiation. The metallopolymer adhesive forms strong bonds via metal-ligand coordination and polymer chain entanglement, enabling the assembly of hydrogels with temperature- and pH-responsive units that can undergo controlled shape changes and motions in response to external stimuli. The assemblies can be reconfigured by disassembling them with light and reassembling the units using the adhesive after heating. This capability allows for reprogramming the functions of the hydrogel assemblies.
The metallopolymer adhesive is tolerant to external stimuli such as pH and temperature, making it suitable for applications in soft robotics, four-dimensional printing, biomedical devices, and artificial intelligence systems. The adhesive's ability to adapt to the actuation and shape changes of hydrogels, combined with its strong yet reversible adhesion, enables the creation of intelligent materials with complex, heterogeneous, and reconfigurable structures. The study demonstrates the fabrication of hydrogel assemblies with reprogrammable functions by reversibly gluing hydrogel units using the metallopolymer adhesive. The assemblies can be reconfigured by disassembling them with light and reassembling the units after heating, allowing for the creation of structures with multiple customized functions. The study also shows the potential of the adhesive for creating soft robots capable of navigating mazes through pH and magnetic field control. The results highlight the potential of the metallopolymer adhesive as a strategy for designing intelligent materials with reconfigurable structures and functions.This study presents a method for creating reconfigurable hydrogel assemblies with customizable functions using a photocontrolled metallopolymer adhesive. The adhesive, composed of a ruthenium-containing polymer and a thioether-containing polymer, allows for reversible bonding and disbonding of hydrogel units through heating and light irradiation. The metallopolymer adhesive forms strong bonds via metal-ligand coordination and polymer chain entanglement, enabling the assembly of hydrogels with temperature- and pH-responsive units that can undergo controlled shape changes and motions in response to external stimuli. The assemblies can be reconfigured by disassembling them with light and reassembling the units using the adhesive after heating. This capability allows for reprogramming the functions of the hydrogel assemblies.
The metallopolymer adhesive is tolerant to external stimuli such as pH and temperature, making it suitable for applications in soft robotics, four-dimensional printing, biomedical devices, and artificial intelligence systems. The adhesive's ability to adapt to the actuation and shape changes of hydrogels, combined with its strong yet reversible adhesion, enables the creation of intelligent materials with complex, heterogeneous, and reconfigurable structures. The study demonstrates the fabrication of hydrogel assemblies with reprogrammable functions by reversibly gluing hydrogel units using the metallopolymer adhesive. The assemblies can be reconfigured by disassembling them with light and reassembling the units after heating, allowing for the creation of structures with multiple customized functions. The study also shows the potential of the adhesive for creating soft robots capable of navigating mazes through pH and magnetic field control. The results highlight the potential of the metallopolymer adhesive as a strategy for designing intelligent materials with reconfigurable structures and functions.