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Waveguiding Microactuators Based on a Photothermally Responsive Nanocomposite Hydrogel
Author(s) -
Zhou Ying,
Hauser Adam W.,
Bende Nakul P.,
Kuzyk Mark G.,
Hayward Ryan C.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201601569
Subject(s) - materials science , self healing hydrogels , nanocomposite , actuator , bending , photothermal therapy , nanotechnology , composite material , optoelectronics , polymer chemistry , engineering , electrical engineering
The incorporation of gold nanoparticles within thermally responsive poly( N ‐isopropyl acrylamide) hydrogels provides a simple means to define photothermally addressable materials. Relying on such composite gels, it is established here that micropatterned bilayer photoactuators demonstrate rapid and highly reversible bending and unbending behavior in response to illumination with visible light. In addition to actuation by free space light, as in most previous research on such responsive nanocomposite hydrogels, light from a 532 nm laser is also waveguided through a plastic optical fiber directly into the photoactuator, providing remotely controllable actuators that do not require line‐of‐sight access.