Supramolecular modular assembly of polymer brush-grafted responsive hydrogels into biomimetic soft actuators
4 affiliations
- 1Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Functional Biomaterials, Key Laboratory of Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou, 510275, China; School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
- 2Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Functional Biomaterials, Key Laboratory of Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- 3School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
- 4Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Functional Biomaterials, Key Laboratory of Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou, 510275, China; Corresponding author.
Abstract
Biomimetic soft actuators, featuring excellent deformability and self-adaptability, have attracted considerable interdisciplinary research interest in smart materials and bionic engineering. Fabrication strategies for such actuators include patterning, 3D printing, and origami/kirigami engineering to achieve precise spatiotemporal regulation of responsive materials and structures. Herein, we propose a modular assembly strategy for the precise integration of functional components into hydrogel actuators mimicking spiders- and water-striders, driven by magnetic or electric fields on water surfaces. Robust and adjustable interfacial adhesion is achieved through macroscopic host-guest recognition between polymer brushes grafted from responsive hydrogel surfaces, in which β-cyclodextrin or adamantane moieties are copolymerized into the brushes to provide tunable supramolecular interactions. The flexible polymer brushes facilitate chain interdigitation, entanglement, and multi-valent host-guest interactions, leading to strong and stable interfacial adhesion that can be tailored by adjusting brush length and the density of functional groups. This supramolecular assembly approach allows hydrogel modules to be reversibly disassembled and reassembled into functional actuators capable of crawling and swimming under magnetic or electric fields. This work offers a versatile supramolecular assembly route for constructing smart actuators and flexible robots, and opens up new perspectives for applications in biomedicine, precision manipulation, and related fields.
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BibTeX
@article{yang2026supramolecular,
title = {{Supramolecular modular assembly of polymer brush-grafted responsive hydrogels into biomimetic soft actuators}},
author = {Hailong Yang and Dingkun Wang and Yaqi Zhang and Han Lu and Yang Cong and Chao Zhang and Jun Fu},
journal = {Supramolecular Materials},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.supmat.2026.100146},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.supmat.2026.100146},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Supramolecular modular assembly of polymer brush-grafted responsive hydrogels into biomimetic soft actuators
AU - Hailong Yang
AU - Dingkun Wang
AU - Yaqi Zhang
AU - Han Lu
AU - Yang Cong
AU - Chao Zhang
AU - Jun Fu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Supramolecular Materials
DO - 10.1016/j.supmat.2026.100146
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.supmat.2026.100146
AB - Biomimetic soft actuators, featuring excellent deformability and self-adaptability, have attracted considerable interdisciplinary research interest in smart materials and bionic engineering. Fabrication strategies for such actuators include patterning, 3D printing, and origami/kirigami engineering to achieve precise spatiotemporal regulation of responsive materials and structures. Herein, we propose a modular assembly strategy for the precise integration of functional components into hydrogel actuators mimicking spiders- and water-striders, driven by magnetic or electric fields on water surfaces. Robust and adjustable interfacial adhesion is achieved through macroscopic host-guest recognition between polymer brushes grafted from responsive hydrogel surfaces, in which β-cyclodextrin or adamantane moieties are copolymerized into the brushes to provide tunable supramolecular interactions. The flexible polymer brushes facilitate chain interdigitation, entanglement, and multi-valent host-guest interactions, leading to strong and stable interfacial adhesion that can be tailored by adjusting brush length and the density of functional groups. This supramolecular assembly approach allows hydrogel modules to be reversibly disassembled and reassembled into functional actuators capable of crawling and swimming under magnetic or electric fields. This work offers a versatile supramolecular assembly route for constructing smart actuators and flexible robots, and opens up new perspectives for applications in biomedicine, precision manipulation, and related fields.
SN - 2667-2405
ER -