Bending Actuation of Hydrogels through Rotation of Light‐Driven Molecular Motors. (14th February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Perrot, Alexis; Wang, Wen‐zhi; Buhler, Eric; Moulin, Emilie; Giuseppone, Nicolas
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie. Volume 135:Number 13(2023)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2023-02-14
• Subjects: Light-Responsive Materials -- Molecular Motors -- Polymer Networks -- Soft Actuators; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/ange.202300263
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0044-8249

Abstract

Abstract: The unidirectional rotation of chemically crosslinked light‐driven molecular motors is shown to progressively shift the swelling equilibrium of hydrogels. The concentration of molecular motors and the initial strand density of the polymer network are key parameters to modulate the macroscopic contraction of the material, and both parameters can be tuned using polymer chains of different molecular weights. These findings led to the design of optimized hydrogels revealing a half‐time contraction of approximately 5 min. Furthermore, under inhomogeneous stimulation, the local contraction event was exploited to design useful bending actuators with an energy output 400 times higher than for previously reported self‐assembled systems involving rotary motors. In the present configuration, we measure that a single molecular motor can lift up loads of 200 times its own molecular weight. Abstract : The integration of light‐driven rotary motors in polymer networks leads to active hydrogels that can be engineered as macroscopic bending actuators. In this configuration, lifting experiments reveal that a single molecular motor can pick up loads of 200 times its own molecular weight.