In Situ Grown Silver–Polymer Framework with Coordination Complexes for Functional Artificial Tissues

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2023-06, Vol.35 (24), p.e2207916-n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Songlin, Deng, Yibing, Libanori, Alberto, Zhou, Yihao, Yang, Jiachen, Tat, Trinny, Yang, Lin, Sun, Wanxin, Zheng, Peng, Zhu, You‐Liang, Chen, Jun, Tan, Swee Ching
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actuation; Actuators; Artificial tissues; Biological properties; Biomimetics; Chemical synthesis; conductive elastomers; Coordination Complexes; Coordination compounds; Elastomers; electronic skins; Humans; Metal Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles; Polymers; Robots; self‐sensing actuators; Silver; silver nanoparticles
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202207916

Self‐sensing actuators are critical to artificial robots with biomimetic proprio‐/exteroception properties of biological neuromuscular systems. Existing add‐on approaches, which physically blend heterogeneous sensor/actuator components, fall short of yielding satisfactory solutions, considering their suboptimal interfaces, poor adhesion, and electronic/mechanical property mismatches. Here, a single homogeneous material platform is reported by creating a silver–polymer framework (SPF), thus realizing the seamless sensing–actuation unification. The SPF‐enabled elastomer is highly stretchable (1200%), conductive (0.076 S m−1), and strong (0.76 MPa in‐strength), where the stretchable polymer matrix synthesis and in situ silver nanoparticles reduction are accomplished simultaneously. Benefiting from the multimodal sensing capability from its architecture itself (mechanical and thermal cues), self‐sensing actuation (proprio‐deformations and external stimuli perceptions) is achieved for the SPF‐based pneumatic actuator, alongside an excellent load‐lifting attribute (up to 3700 times its own weight), substantiating its advantage of the unified sensing–actuation feature in a single homogenous material. In view of its human somatosensitive muscular systems imitative functionality, the reported SPF bodes well for use with next‐generation functional tissues, including artificial skins, human–machine interfaces, self‐sensing robots, and otherwise dynamic materials. The concept of creating a silver–polymer framework (SPF) is proposed, in which silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are in situ grown (for sensing) with simultaneous formation of metal–ligand coordination complexes (for actuating). The seamless sensing–actuation unification at nano‐/molecular levels in a single homogenous material platform simultaneously imparts multimodal sensation and excellent load‐lifting into soft robots, thus fully mimicking sensory motions (proprio‐/exteroception) of biological organisms.