Original Article:
Construction of 3D Shape-Changing Hydrogels via Light-Modulated Internal Stress Fields
Zihan Xu, et al.
Energy & Environmental Materials, 2022.
10.1002/eem2.12375
UV 1130 is a benzotriazole UV absorber widely used in coatings. UV 1130 is easy to emulsify, especially suitable for water-based systems, and can be used for organic coatings. In this study, an ultraviolet absorber (UV 1130) was introduced into the precursor solution to generate an asymmetric internal stress field for the construction of 3D deformable hydrogels. In this work, by irradiating the solution with UV light on one side, a vertical gradient structure and directional shrinkage internal stress are formed on the gel sheet due to the attenuation of monomer polymerization rate along the thickness direction. The resulting gradient gel sheet can be voluntarily deformed into a 3D curved anisotropic configuration in air, driven by the release of contractile internal stress. Therefore, they can be programmed into various complex 3D deformable hydrogels on demand by utilizing different photomasks to tune the local gradient structures and internal stress fields within the hydrogel sheets. This new design strategy could aid in the development of complex biomedical implants and soft robots.
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