The current actuation performance of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) limits their further application in the aerospace, energy, and optics fields, among others. To overcome this issue, we developed a freeze-drying process to generate Nafion membranes with a porous structure, the characteristics of which were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and water uptake tests. The pores fabricated using the developed freeze-drying process had a diameter of approximately 270 nm, and a porosity of nearly 40.45%. The displacement and the central angle were introduced as variables to evaluate the bending deformation of an IPMC actuator based on the porous Nafion membrane. Compared with conventional actuators, this IPMC actuator showed an increase in displacement of 4963.6% at 2 V, and an increase in central angle of 73.35% at 3 V. Although the blocking forces of this IPMC actuator decreased to some extent, it was confirmed that the integrated actuation performance, which was evaluated using the strain energy density increment, was improved. The performance of the IPMC actuator was enhanced as a result of the porous Nafion structure manufactured using the developed freeze-drying process.
Current ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) always proves inadequate in terms of large attenuation and short working time in air due to water leakage. To address this problem, a feasible and effective solution was proposed in this study to enhance IPMC performance operating in air by doping polyethylene oxide (PEO) with superior water retention capacity into Nafion membrane. The investigation of physical characteristics of membranes blended with varying PEO contents revealed that PEO/Nafion membrane with 20 wt% PEO exhibited a homogeneous internal structure and a high water uptake ratio. At the same time, influences of PEO contents on electromechanical properties of IPMCs were studied, showing that the IPMCs with 20 wt% PEO presented the largest peak-to-peak displacement, the highest volumetric work density, and prolonged stable working time. It was demonstrated that doping PEO reinforced electromechanical performances and restrained displacement attenuation of the resultant IPMC.
Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is receiving much attention for a number of reasons, including less trauma, faster recovery and enhanced precision. The traditional robotic actuators do not have the capabilities required to fulfill the demand for new applications in MIS. Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC), one of the most promising smart materials, has extensive desirable characteristics such as low actuation voltage, large bending deformation and high functionality. Compared with traditional actuators, IPMCs can mimic biological muscle and are highly promising for actuation in robotic surgery. In this paper, a new approach which involves molding and integrating IPMC actuators into a soft silicone tube to create an active actuating tube capable of multi-degree-of-freedom motion is presented. First, according to the structure and performance requirements of the actuating tube, the biaxial bending IPMC actuators fabricated by using solution casting method have been implemented. The silicone was cured at a suitable temperature to form a flexible tube using molds fabricated by 3D Printing technology. Then an assembly based fabrication process was used to mold or integrate biaxial bending IPMC actuators into the soft silicone material to create an active control tube.The IPMC-embedded tube can generate multi-degree-of-freedom motions by controlling each IPMC actuator.Furthermore, the basic performance of the actuators was analyzed, including the displacement and the response speed.Experimental results indicate that IPMC-embedded tubes are promising for applications in MIS.
Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is an immune checkpoint protein frequently expressed in human cancers, which contributes to immune evasion through its binding to PD-1 on activated T cells. Unveiling the mechanisms underlying PD-L1 expression is essential for understanding the impacts of immunosuppressive microenvironment, and also crucial for the purpose of re-boosting anti-tumour immunity. However, how PD-L1 is regulated, particularly at translational levels, remains largely unknown. Here, we discovered that a lncRNA, HIF-1α inhibitor at translation level (HITT), was transactivated by E2F1 under interferon-γ stimulation. It bound and co-ordinated with Regulator of G Protein Signalling 2 (RGS2) in binding to the 5ʹ-untranslated region (UTR) of PD-L1, resulting in reduced PD-L1 translation. HITT expression enhanced T cell-mediated cytotoxicity both in vitro and in vivo in a PD-L1 dependent manner. The clinical correlation between HITT/PD-L1, RGS2/PD-L1 expression was also detected in breast cancer tissues. Together, these findings demonstrate the role of HITT in antitumour T cell immunity, highlighting activation of HITT as a potential therapeutic strategy to enhance cancer immunotherapy.
As emerging smart polymers, ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are playing more and more important roles as promising candidates for next-generation actuators in terms of academic interest and industrial applications. It is reported that the actuation behaviors of IPMCs are dependent on the electrochemical kinetic process between metal/polymer interfaces to a great extent. Thus, the fabrication of tailored metal/polymer interface electrodes with large surface areas and superior interface characteristics is highly desirable in improving the actuation performance of IPMCs, which is still technologically critical for IPMCs. In this contribution, we developed a novel fabrication technology for carbon/metal composite electrodes with a superior interface structure and characteristics to optimize the actuation behaviors of IPMCs by exploiting the synergistic effect of combining a sulfonated multi-walled carbon nanotube (SCNT)/Nafion hybrid layer with nanodispersed Pd particles. The improved IPMCs showed significantly enhanced capacitance characteristics and highly facilitated charge–discharge processes. Moreover, their actuation behaviors were greatly improved as expected, including approximately 2.5 times larger displacement, 3 times faster deformation speed, 4 times greater output force, and 10 times higher volume work density compared to those of the IPMCs with traditional electrode structures. The advantages of the developed SCNT/Pd-IPMCs will greatly facilitate their applicability for artificial muscles.
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