1
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Li Q, Wang F, Zhang Y, Shi M, Zhang Y, Yu H, Liu S, Li J, Tan SC, Chen W. Biopolymers for Hygroscopic Material Development. Adv Mater 2024; 36:e2209479. [PMID: 36652538 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202209479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The effective management of atmospheric water will create huge value for mankind. Diversified and sustainable biopolymers that are derived from organisms provide rich building blocks for various hygroscopic materials. Here, a comprehensive review of recent advances in developing biopolymers for hygroscopic materials is provided. It is begun with a brief introduction of species diversity and the processes of obtaining various biopolymer materials from organisms. The fabrication of hygroscopic materials is then illustrated, with a specific focus on the use of biopolymer-derived materials as substrates to produce composites and the use of biopolymers as building blocks to fabricate composite gels. Next, the representative applications of biopolymer-derived hygroscopic materials for dehumidification, atmospheric water harvesting, and power generation are systematically presented. An outlook on future challenges and key issues worthy of attention are finally provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Li
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, P. R. China
| | - Fei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, P. R. China
| | - Yaoxin Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering drive 1, Singapore, 117574, Singapore
| | - Mengjiao Shi
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, P. R. China
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Haipeng Yu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, P. R. China
| | - Shouxin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, P. R. China
| | - Jian Li
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, P. R. China
| | - Swee Ching Tan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering drive 1, Singapore, 117574, Singapore
| | - Wenshuai Chen
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, P. R. China
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2
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Pinchin NP, Guo H, Meteling H, Deng Z, Priimagi A, Shahsavan H. Liquid Crystal Networks Meet Water: It's Complicated! Adv Mater 2024; 36:e2303740. [PMID: 37392137 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202303740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Soft robots are composed of compliant materials that facilitate high degrees of freedom, shape-change adaptability, and safer interaction with humans. An attractive choice of material for soft robotics is crosslinked networks of liquid crystal polymers (LCNs), as they are responsive to a wide variety of external stimuli and capable of undergoing fast, programmable, complex shape morphing, which allows for their use in a wide range of soft robotic applications. However, unlike hydrogels, another popular material in soft robotics, LCNs have limited applicability in flooded or aquatic environments. This can be attributed not only to the poor efficiency of common LCN actuation methods underwater but also to the complicated relationship between LCNs and water. In this review, the relationship between water and LCNs is elaborated and the existing body of literature is surveyed where LCNs, both hygroscopic and non-hygroscopic, are utilized in aquatic soft robotic applications. Then the challenges LCNs face in widespread adaptation to aquatic soft robotic applications are discussed and, finally, possible paths forward for their successful use in aquatic environments are envisaged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie P Pinchin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Hongshuang Guo
- Smart Photonic Materials, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33101, Finland
| | - Henning Meteling
- Smart Photonic Materials, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33101, Finland
| | - Zixuan Deng
- Smart Photonic Materials, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33101, Finland
| | - Arri Priimagi
- Smart Photonic Materials, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33101, Finland
| | - Hamed Shahsavan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
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3
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Lin H, Yang Y, Hsu YC, Zhang J, Welton C, Afolabi I, Loo M, Zhou HC. Metal-Organic Frameworks for Water Harvesting and Concurrent Carbon Capture: A Review for Hygroscopic Materials. Adv Mater 2024; 36:e2209073. [PMID: 36693232 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202209073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
As water scarcity becomes a pending global issue, hygroscopic materials prove a significant solution. Thus, there is a good cause following the structure-performance relationship to review the recent development of hygroscopic materials and provide inspirational insight into creative materials. Herein, traditional hygroscopic materials, crystalline frameworks, polymers, and composite materials are reviewed. The similarity in working conditions of water harvesting and carbon capture makes simultaneously addressing water shortages and reduction of greenhouse effects possible. Concurrent water harvesting and carbon capture is likely to become a future challenge. Therefore, an emphasis is laid on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for their excellent performance in water and CO2 adsorption, and representative role of micro- and mesoporous materials. Herein, the water adsorption mechanisms of MOFs are summarized, followed by a review of MOF's water stability, with a highlight on the emerging machine learning (ML) technique to predict MOF water stability and water uptake. Recent advances in the mechanistic elaboration of moisture's effects on CO2 adsorption are reviewed. This review summarizes recent advances in water-harvesting porous materials with special attention on MOFs and expects to direct researchers' attention into the topic of concurrent water harvesting and carbon capture as a future challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengyu Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Yihao Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Yu-Chuan Hsu
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Jiaqi Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Claire Welton
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Ibukun Afolabi
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Marshal Loo
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Hong-Cai Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
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Xu T, Ding X, Cheng H, Han G, Qu L. Moisture-Enabled Electricity from Hygroscopic Materials: A New Type of Clean Energy. Adv Mater 2024; 36:e2209661. [PMID: 36657097 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202209661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Water utilization is accompanied with the development of human beings, whereas gaseous moisture is usually regarded as an underexploited resource. The advances of highly efficient hygroscopic materials endow atmospheric water harvesting as an intriguing solution to convert moisture into clean water. The discovery of hygroelectricity, which refers to the charge buildup at a material surface dependent on humidity, and the following moisture-enabled electric generation (MEG) realizes energy conversion and directly outputs electricity. Much progress has been made since then to optimize MEG performance, pushing forward the applications of MEG into a practical level. Herein, the evolvement and development of MEG are systematically summarized in a chronological order. The optimization strategies of MEG are discussed and comprehensively evaluated. Then, the latest applications of MEG are presented, including high-performance powering units and self-powered devices. In the end, a perspective on the future development of MEG is given for inspiring more researchers into this promising area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Xu
- Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoteng Ding
- College of Life Sciences, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, P. R. China
| | - Huhu Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Gaoyi Han
- Institute of Molecular Science, Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage of Shanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Education Ministry, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 237016, P. R. China
| | - Liangti Qu
- Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
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Lim H, Kim MS, Cho Y, Ahn J, Ahn S, Nam JS, Bae J, Yun TG, Kim ID. Hydrovoltaic Electricity Generator with Hygroscopic Materials: A Review and New Perspective. Adv Mater 2024; 36:e2301080. [PMID: 37084408 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202301080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The global energy crisis caused by the overconsumption of nonrenewable fuels has prompted researchers to develop alternative strategies for producing electrical energy. In this review, a fascinating strategy that simply utilizes water, an abundant natural substance throughout the globe and even in air as moisture, as a power source is introduced. The concept of the hydrovoltaic electricity generator (HEG) proposed herein involves generating an electrical potential gradient by exposing the two ends of the HEG device to dissimilar physicochemical environments, which leads to the production of an electrical current through the active material. HEGs, with a large variety of viable active materials, have much potential for expansion toward diverse applications including permanent and/or emergency power sources. In this review, representative HEGs that generate electricity by the mechanisms of diffusion, streaming, and capacitance as case studies for building a fundamental understanding of the electricity generation process are discussed. In particular, by comparing the use and absence of hygroscopic materials, HEG mechanism studies to establish active material design principles are meticulously elucidated. The review with future perspectives on electrode design using conducting nanomaterials, considerations for high performance device construction, and potential impacts of the HEG technology in improving the livelihoods are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haeseong Lim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Soo Kim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Yujang Cho
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaewan Ahn
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Seongcheol Ahn
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Seok Nam
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaehyeong Bae
- Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering Kyung Hee University, 1732, Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 17104, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Gwang Yun
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Myongji University, Yongin, Gyeonggi, 17058, Republic of Korea
| | - Il-Doo Kim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
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Shan H, Poredoš P, Ye Z, Qu H, Zhang Y, Zhou M, Wang R, Tan SC. All-Day Multicyclic Atmospheric Water Harvesting Enabled by Polyelectrolyte Hydrogel with Hybrid Desorption Mode. Adv Mater 2023; 35:e2302038. [PMID: 37199373 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202302038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is a promising approach for mitigating worldwide water scarcity. However, reliable water supply driven by sustainable energy regardless of diurnal variation and weather remains a long-standing challenge. To address this issue, a polyelectrolyte hydrogel sorbent with an optimal hybrid-desorption multicyclic-operation strategy is proposed, achieving all-day AWH and a significant increase in daily water production. The polyelectrolyte hydrogel possesses a large interior osmotic pressure of 659 atm, which refreshes sorption sites by continuously migrating the sorbed water within its interior, and thus enhancing sorption kinetics. The charged polymeric chains coordinate with hygroscopic salt ions, anchoring the salts and preventing agglomeration and leakage, thereby enhancing cyclic stability. The hybrid desorption mode, which couples solar energy and simulated waste heat, introduces a uniform and adjustable sorbent temperature for achieving all-day ultrafast water release. With rapid sorption-desorption kinetics, an optimization model suggests that eight moisture capture-release cycles are capable of achieving high water yield of 2410 mLwater kgsorbent -1 day-1 , up to 3.5 times that of single-cyclic non-hybrid modes. The polyelectrolyte hydrogel sorbent and the coupling with sustainable energy driven desorption mode pave the way for the next-generation AWH systems, significantly bringing freshwater on a multi-kilogram scale closer.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Shan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117574, Singapore
- Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Engineering Research Center of Solar Power & Refrigeration, MOE China, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Primož Poredoš
- Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Engineering Research Center of Solar Power & Refrigeration, MOE China, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Zhanyu Ye
- Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Engineering Research Center of Solar Power & Refrigeration, MOE China, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Hao Qu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117574, Singapore
| | - Yaoxin Zhang
- China-UK Low Carbon College, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 3 Yinlian Road, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Mengjuan Zhou
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117574, Singapore
| | - Ruzhu Wang
- Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Engineering Research Center of Solar Power & Refrigeration, MOE China, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Swee Ching Tan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117574, Singapore
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Yang J, Zhang X, Koh JJ, Deng R, Kumarasamy S, Xu YX, Qu H, Zhang S, Zhang Y, Tan SC. Reversible Hydration Composite Films for Evaporative Perspiration Control and Heat Stress Management. Small 2022; 18:e2107636. [PMID: 35187798 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202107636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Donning of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the healthcare sector has been intensified by the on-going COVID-19 pandemic around the globe. While extensive PPE provides protection, it typically limits moisture permeability and severely hinders the sweat evaporation process, resulting in greater heat stress on the personnel. Herein, a zinc-poly(vinyl alcohol) (Zn-PVA) composite film is fabricated by embedding a super-hygroscopic zinc-ethanolamine complex (Zn-complex) in the PVA matrix. By attaching the Zn-PVA composite film, the relative humidity (RH) inside the protective suit decreases from 91.0% to 48.2%. The reduced RH level, in turn, enhances evaporative cooling, hence bringing down the heat index from 64.6 to 40.0 °C at an air temperature of 35 °C, remarkably lowering the likelihood of heat stroke. The American Society for Testing and Materials tests conducted on a sweating manikin have also proven that the Zn-PVA composite films can significantly reduce the evaporative resistance of the protective suit by 90%. The low material cost, facile fabrication process, and reusability allow the Zn-PVA composition films to be readily available for healthcare workers worldwide. This application can be further extended to other occupations that are facing severe thermal discomfort and heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiachen Yang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
| | - Xueping Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
- Key Laboratory of Textile Science & Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - J Justin Koh
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
| | - Rensheng Deng
- Home Team Science and Technology Agency, 1 Stars Avenue, Singapore, 138507, Singapore
| | - Saravana Kumarasamy
- Home Team Science and Technology Agency, 1 Stars Avenue, Singapore, 138507, Singapore
| | - Yuan Xing Xu
- Home Team Science and Technology Agency, 1 Stars Avenue, Singapore, 138507, Singapore
| | - Hao Qu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
| | - Songlin Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
| | - Yaoxin Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
| | - Swee Ching Tan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
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Xia H, Lv Z, Zhang W, Wei J, Liu L, Cao S, Zhu Z, Tang Y, Chen X. Hygroscopic Chemistry Enables Fire-Tolerant Supercapacitors with a Self-Healable "Solute-in-Air" Electrolyte. Adv Mater 2022; 34:e2109857. [PMID: 35129848 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202109857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
High-temperature-induced fire is an extremely serious safety risk in energy storage devices; which can be avoided by replacing their components with nonflammable materials. However; these devices are still destroyed by the high-temperature decomposition; lacking reliability. Here, a fire-tolerant supercapacitor is further demonstrated that recovers after burning with a self-healable "solute-in-air" electrolyte. Using fire-tolerant electrodes and separator with a semiopen device configuration; hygroscopic CaCl2 in the air ("CaCl2 -in-air") is designed as a self-healable electrolyte; which loses its water solvent at high temperatures but spontaneously absorbs water from the air to recover by itself at low temperatures. The supercapacitor is disenabled at 500 °C; while it recovers after cooling in the air. Especially; it even recovers after burning at around 647 °C with enhanced performance. The study offers a self-healing strategy to design high-safety; high-reliability; and fire-tolerant supercapacitors; which inspires a promising way to deal with general fire-related risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huarong Xia
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Zhisheng Lv
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore
| | - Wei Zhang
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Jiaqi Wei
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Lin Liu
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Shengkai Cao
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Zhiqiang Zhu
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Yuxin Tang
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Xiaodong Chen
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore
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Poppinga S, Schenck P, Speck O, Speck T, Bruchmann B, Masselter T. Self-Actuated Paper and Wood Models: Low-Cost Handcrafted Biomimetic Compliant Systems for Research and Teaching. Biomimetics (Basel) 2021; 6:biomimetics6030042. [PMID: 34206585 PMCID: PMC8293091 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics6030042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The abstraction and implementation of plant movement principles into biomimetic compliant systems are of increasing interest for technical applications, e.g., in architecture, medicine, and soft robotics. Within the respective research and development approaches, advanced methods such as 4D printing or 3D-braiding pultrusion are typically used to generate proof-of-concept demonstrators at the laboratory or demonstrator scale. However, such techniques are generally time-consuming, complicated, and cost-intensive, which often impede the rapid realization of a sufficient number of demonstrators for testing or teaching. Therefore, we have produced comparable simple handcrafted compliant systems based on paper, wood, plastic foil, and/or glue as construction materials. A variety of complex plant movement principles have been transferred into these low-cost physical demonstrators, which are self-actuated by shrinking processes induced by the anisotropic hygroscopic properties of wood or paper. The developed systems have a high potential for fast, precise, and low-cost abstraction and transfer processes in biomimetic approaches and for the "hands-on understanding" of plant movements in applied university and school courses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Poppinga
- Plant Biomechanics Group @ Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; (P.S.); (O.S.); (T.S.)
- Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF), University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Correspondence: (S.P.); (T.M.)
| | - Pablo Schenck
- Plant Biomechanics Group @ Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; (P.S.); (O.S.); (T.S.)
| | - Olga Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group @ Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; (P.S.); (O.S.); (T.S.)
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group @ Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; (P.S.); (O.S.); (T.S.)
- Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF), University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Bernd Bruchmann
- BASF SE, Advanced Materials and Systems Research, 67056 Ludwigshafen/Rhein, Germany;
| | - Tom Masselter
- Plant Biomechanics Group @ Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; (P.S.); (O.S.); (T.S.)
- Correspondence: (S.P.); (T.M.)
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10
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Zhu P, Chen R, Zhou C, Aizenberg M, Aizenberg J, Wang L. Bioinspired Soft Microactuators. Adv Mater 2021; 33:e2008558. [PMID: 33860582 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202008558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Soft actuators have the potential of revolutionizing the field of robotics. However, it has been a long-standing challenge to achieve simultaneously: i) miniaturization of soft actuators, ii) high contrast between materials properties at their "on" and "off" states, iii) significant actuation for high-payload mechanical work, and iv) ability to perform diverse shape transformations. This challenge is addressed by synergistically utilizing structural concepts found in the dermis of sea cucumbers and the tendrils of climbing plants, together with microfluidic fabrication to create diatomite-laden hygroscopically responsive fibers with a discontinuous ribbon of stiff, asymmetrically shaped, and hygroscopically inactive microparticles embedded inside. The microactuators can undergo various deformations and have very high property contrast ratios (20-850 for various mechanical characteristics of interest) between hydrated and dehydrated states. The resulting energy density, actuation strain, and actuation stress are shown to exceed those of natural muscle by ≈4, >2, and >30 times, respectively, and their weight-lifting ratio is 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than the value of recent hygroscopic actuators. This work offers a new and general way to design and fabricate next-generation soft microactuators, and thus advances the field of soft robotics by tailoring the structure and properties of deformable elements to suit a desired application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pingan Zhu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- HKU-Zhejiang Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-ZIRI), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China
| | - Rifei Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Chunmei Zhou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- HKU-Zhejiang Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-ZIRI), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China
| | - Michael Aizenberg
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Joanna Aizenberg
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Liqiu Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- HKU-Zhejiang Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-ZIRI), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China
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