Open AccessHigh Energy and Power Density Peptidoglycan Muscles through Super‐Viscous Nanoconfined Water
Author(s) -
Wang Haozhen,
Liu ZhiLun,
Lao Jianpei,
Zhang Sheng,
Abzalimov Rinat,
Wang Tong,
Chen Xi
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
advanced science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.388
H-Index - 100
ISSN - 2198-3844
DOI - 10.1002/advs.202104697
Subject(s) - actuator , materials science , artificial muscle , deformation (meteorology) , power density , mechanical energy , elastomer , power (physics) , peptidoglycan , composite material , nanotechnology , chemistry , electrical engineering , physics , thermodynamics , engineering , biochemistry , enzyme
Water‐responsive (WR) materials that reversibly deform in response to humidity changes show great potential for developing muscle‐like actuators for miniature and biomimetic robotics. Here, it is presented that Bacillus (B.) subtilis’ peptidoglycan (PG) exhibits WR actuation energy and power densities reaching 72.6 MJ m −3 and 9.1 MW m −3 , respectively, orders of magnitude higher than those of frequently used actuators, such as piezoelectric actuators and dielectric elastomers. PG can deform as much as 27.2% within 110 ms, and its actuation pressure reaches ≈354.6 MPa. Surprisingly, PG exhibits an energy conversion efficiency of ≈66.8%, which can be attributed to its super‐viscous nanoconfined water that efficiently translates the movement of water molecules to PG's mechanical deformation. Using PG, WR composites that can be integrated into a range of engineering structures are developed, including a robotic gripper and linear actuators, which illustrate the possibilities of using PG as building blocks for high‐efficiency WR actuators.