Controlling the shape morphology of origami-inspired photoresponsive hydrogels

Aaveg Aggarwal, Chuang Li, Samuel I. Stupp*, Monica Olvera de la Cruz

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The concept of origami has influenced the development of responsive materials that can mimic complex functions performed by living organisms. An ultimate goal is to discover and design soft materials that can be remotely actuated into diverse structures. To achieve this goal, we design and synthesize here a light-responsive spiropyran hydrogel system that can display dynamic shape changes upon irradiation with local light. We use a continuum polymer model to analyze the behavior of the constructed photoactive hydrogel, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. We explore different buckling modalities and patterns in a different range of parameters. The synthesis and fabrication of these materials demonstrate that the theoretical model can be used to drive the development of responsive photoactive systems.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2193-2202
Number of pages10
JournalSoft Matter
Volume18
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 21 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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