Nanostructured block copolymer muscles

Chao Lang; Elisabeth C Lloyd; Kelly E Matuszewski; Yifan Xu; Venkat Ganesan; Rui Huang; Manish Kumar; Robert J Hickey

doi:10.1038/s41565-022-01133-0

Nanostructured block copolymer muscles

Nat Nanotechnol. 2022 Jul;17(7):752-758. doi: 10.1038/s41565-022-01133-0. Epub 2022 Jun 2.

Authors

Chao Lang^{1

2

3}, Elisabeth C Lloyd², Kelly E Matuszewski², Yifan Xu², Venkat Ganesan⁴, Rui Huang⁵, Manish Kumar^{4

6}, Robert J Hickey^{7

8}

Affiliations

¹ South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
² Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
³ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
⁵ Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
⁶ Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
⁷ Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. rjh64@psu.edu.
⁸ Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. rjh64@psu.edu.

PMID: 35654867
DOI: 10.1038/s41565-022-01133-0

Abstract

High-performance actuating materials are necessary for advances in robotics, prosthetics and smart clothing. Here we report a class of fibre actuators that combine solution-phase block copolymer self-assembly and strain-programmed crystallization. The actuators consist of highly aligned nanoscale structures with alternating crystalline and amorphous domains, resembling the ordered and striated pattern of mammalian skeletal muscle. The reported nanostructured block copolymer muscles excel in several aspects compared with current actuators, including efficiency (75.5%), actuation strain (80%) and mechanical properties (for example, strain-at-break of up to 900% and toughness of up to 121.2 MJ m^-³). The fibres exhibit on/off rotary actuation with a peak rotational speed of 450 r.p.m. Furthermore, the reported fibres demonstrate multi-trigger actuation (heat and hydration), offering switchable mechanical properties and various operating modes. The versatility and recyclability of the polymer fibres, combined with the facile fabrication method, opens new avenues for creating multifunctional and recyclable actuators using block copolymers.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Crystallization
Muscles / physiology
Nanostructures* / chemistry
Polymers
Robotics* / methods

Substances

Polymers