Ultrarobust Ti3C2Tx MXene-Based Soft Actuators via Bamboo-Inspired Mesoscale Assembly of Hybrid Nanostructures.

Soft actuation materials are highly desirable in flexible electronics, soft robotics, etc. However, traditional bilayered actuators usually suffer from poor mechanical properties as well as deteriorated performance reliability. Here, inspired by the delicate architecture of natural bamboo, we present a hierarchical gradient structured soft actuator via mesoscale assembly of micro-nano scaled two-dimentional MXenes and one-dimentional cellulose nanofibers with molecular scaled strong hydrogen bonding. The resultant actuator integrates high tensile strength (237.1 MPa), Young's modulus (8.5 GPa), superior toughness (10.9 MJ/m3), direct and fast hygroscopic actuation within a single body, which is difficult to achieve by traditional bilayered actuators. The proof-of-concept prototype robot is demonstrated to emphasize its high mechanical robustness even after bending 100,000 times, kneading or being trampled by an adult (7,500,000 times heavier than that of crawling robot). This bioinspired mesoscale assembly strategy provides an approach for soft materials to the application of next-generation robust robotics.

[1]  Xinxing Zhang,et al.  Hierarchically Structured Self‐Healing Actuators with Superfast Light‐ and Magnetic‐Response , 2019, Advanced Functional Materials.

[2]  Yaroslava G. Yingling,et al.  Template-Guided Assembly of Silk Fibroin on Cellulose Nanofibers for Robust Nanostructures with Ultrafast Water Transport. , 2017, ACS nano.

[3]  Akira Isogai,et al.  Cellulose nanofibers prepared by TEMPO-mediated oxidation of native cellulose. , 2007, Biomacromolecules.

[4]  Kun Fu,et al.  A Solution‐Processed High‐Temperature, Flexible, Thin‐Film Actuator , 2016, Advanced materials.

[5]  Liyi Shi,et al.  Layered nanofibrillated cellulose hybrid films as flexible lateral heat spreaders: The effect of graphene defect , 2017 .

[6]  R. Ritchie,et al.  Bioinspired structural materials. , 2014, Nature Materials.

[7]  Hao‐Bin Zhang,et al.  Hydrophobic, Flexible, and Lightweight MXene Foams for High‐Performance Electromagnetic‐Interference Shielding , 2017, Advanced materials.

[8]  A. Priimagi,et al.  Reconfigurable photoactuator through synergistic use of photochemical and photothermal effects , 2018, Nature Communications.

[9]  Qingchuan Tao,et al.  Multiple Hydrogen Bonding Enables the Self-Healing of Sensors for Human-Machine Interactions. , 2017, Angewandte Chemie.

[10]  Yue Zhao,et al.  Tunable Photocontrolled Motions Using Stored Strain Energy in Malleable Azobenzene Liquid Crystalline Polymer Actuators , 2017, Advanced materials.

[11]  A. Sinitskii,et al.  Electrical and Elastic Properties of Individual Single‐Layer Nb4C3Tx MXene Flakes , 2020, Advanced Electronic Materials.

[12]  Chang E. Ren,et al.  Flexible and conductive MXene films and nanocomposites with high capacitance , 2014, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[13]  Yen Wei,et al.  Mouldable liquid-crystalline elastomer actuators with exchangeable covalent bonds. , 2014, Nature materials.

[14]  L. Qu,et al.  An asymmetrically surface-modified graphene film electrochemical actuator. , 2010, ACS nano.

[15]  L. Bergström,et al.  Transparent and Flexible Nacre‐Like Hybrid Films of Aminoclays and Carboxylated Cellulose Nanofibrils , 2018 .

[16]  Jizhou Song,et al.  Programming a crystalline shape memory polymer network with thermo- and photo-reversible bonds toward a single-component soft robot , 2018, Science Advances.

[17]  S. Fang,et al.  Photothermal Bimorph Actuators with In‐Built Cooler for Light Mills, Frequency Switches, and Soft Robots , 2019, Advanced Functional Materials.

[18]  Z. Bao,et al.  A Highly Stretchable and Self‐Healing Supramolecular Elastomer Based on Sliding Crosslinks and Hydrogen Bonds , 2019, Advanced Functional Materials.

[19]  Y. Gogotsi,et al.  Electrochemical Actuators Based on Two-Dimensional Ti3C2Tx (MXene). , 2019, Nano letters (Print).

[20]  Y. Gogotsi,et al.  Ion-Exchange and Cation Solvation Reactions in Ti3C2 MXene , 2016 .

[21]  Yuanjin Zhao,et al.  Bioinspired Bilayer Structural Color Hydrogel Actuator with Multienvironment Responsiveness and Survivability , 2019, Small Methods.

[22]  Metin Sitti,et al.  High-Performance Multiresponsive Paper Actuators. , 2016, ACS nano.

[23]  Yury Gogotsi,et al.  Guidelines for Synthesis and Processing of Two-Dimensional Titanium Carbide (Ti3C2Tx MXene) , 2017 .

[24]  Yi Jiang,et al.  Leaf-inspired multiresponsive MXene-based actuator for programmable smart devices , 2019, Science Advances.

[25]  Xinxing Zhang,et al.  Arbitrarily 3D Configurable Hygroscopic Robots with a Covalent–Noncovalent Interpenetrating Network and Self‐Healing Ability , 2019, Advanced materials.

[26]  Xiaofang Zhang,et al.  Green Fabrication of Regenerated Cellulose/Graphene Films with Simultaneous Improvement of Strength and Toughness by Tailoring the Nanofiber Diameter , 2018 .

[27]  Panpan Zhang,et al.  Mechanically strong MXene/Kevlar nanofiber composite membranes as high-performance nanofluidic osmotic power generators , 2019, Nature Communications.

[28]  J. Coleman,et al.  High capacity silicon anodes enabled by MXene viscous aqueous ink , 2019, Nature Communications.

[29]  Jiajie Liang,et al.  Bioinspired Ultrasensitive and Stretchable MXene-Based Strain Sensor via Nacre-Mimetic Microscale "Brick-and-Mortar" Architecture. , 2019, ACS nano.

[30]  X. Feng,et al.  Ultrathin Biomimetic Polymeric Ti3C2T x MXene Composite Films for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding. , 2018, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[31]  Peiyi Wu,et al.  Fluorinated Carbon Nanotube/Nanofibrillated Cellulose Composite Film with Enhanced Toughness, Superior Thermal Conductivity, and Electrical Insulation. , 2018, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[32]  Nick Birbilis,et al.  A high-specific-strength and corrosion-resistant magnesium alloy. , 2015, Nature materials.

[33]  Lin Xiao,et al.  Flexible, All-Inorganic Actuators Based on Vanadium Dioxide and Carbon Nanotube Bimorphs. , 2017, Nano letters.

[34]  Micah J. Green,et al.  Highly Multifunctional Dopamine-Functionalized Reduced Graphene Oxide Supercapacitors , 2019 .

[35]  Dian‐sen Li,et al.  Synergistic Effects between MXenes and Ni Chains in Flexible and Ultrathin Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Films , 2019, Advanced Materials Interfaces.

[36]  Mingguo Ma,et al.  Binary Strengthening and Toughening of MXene/Cellulose Nanofiber Composite Paper with Nacre-Inspired Structure and Superior Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Properties. , 2018, ACS nano.

[37]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  Controlled flight of a microrobot powered by soft artificial muscles , 2019, Nature.

[38]  Liangti Qu,et al.  Spontaneous, Straightforward Fabrication of Partially Reduced Graphene Oxide-Polypyrrole Composite Films for Versatile Actuators. , 2016, ACS nano.

[39]  Yury Gogotsi,et al.  Thickness-independent capacitance of vertically aligned liquid-crystalline MXenes , 2018, Nature.

[40]  Majid Beidaghi,et al.  Multifunctional Nanocomposites with High Strength and Capacitance Using 2D MXene and 1D Nanocellulose , 2019, Advanced materials.

[41]  Wei Chen,et al.  Hybrid nanoscale organic molecular crystals assembly as a photon-controlled actuator. , 2013, Angewandte Chemie.