Smart Actuators Based on External Stimulus Response

Abstract

Smart actuators refer to integrated devices that are composed of smart and artificial materials, and can provide actuation and dampening capabilities in response to single/multi external stimuli (such as light, heat, magnetism, electricity, humidity, and chemical reactions). Due to their capability of dynamically sensing and interaction with complex surroundings, smart actuators have attracted increasing attention in different application fields, such as artificial muscles, smart textiles, smart sensors, and soft robots. Among these intelligent material, functional hydrogels with fiber structure are of great value in the manufacture of smart actuators. In this review, we summarized the recent advances in stimuli-responsive actuators based on functional materials. We emphasized the important role of functional nano-material-based additives in the preparation of the stimulus response materials, then analyzed the driving response medium, the preparation method, and the performance of different stimuli responses in detail. In addition, some challenges and future prospects of smart actuators are reported.

Thermomechanical Energy Converters for Harvesting Thermal Energy: A Review

“…Smart actuators are usually manipulated by a feedback control, communication capabilities, position control, and fault detection, which can be achieved by application of multiple or qualitatively different stimuli (such as light, heat, electricity, magnetism, humidity, pH, etc. ), by programmable logic, and/or by integration of functionally different multiple segments in the same device [16]. For example, a flexible graphene-based Janus film composed of two components, a graphene oxide (GO) layer and a reduced GO (rGO) layer, can roll up on the short-side in response to moisture stimulation due to the hygroscopic expansion of the GO layer, while the film rolls up in the opposite direction under the thermal stimulation, which occurs due to the negative thermal expansion of the rGO layer [17].…”

Recent advances on drug delivery nanoplatforms for the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory diseases

“…78 The combination of pH, temperature, redox, and light stimulation induces a change in the structure, size, and chemical or physical properties of multi stimulusresponsive nano-carriers. 79,80 For example, Gao et al synthesized the metal/semiconductor composite material Au NR@CuS. 81 The large octahedral void space could be used to load a large amount of drug methotrexate (MTX) for chemotherapy and modified with vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) to form VIP-HA Au NR@CuS NPs targeting synovial cells in RA.…”

Liquid-crystalline ferroferric oxide nanocomposites: self-assembly and magnetorheological effects

“…A magnetic field can pass through most magnetic materials, and therefore magnetic field-stimulus-responsive materials are widely considered to have the potential to be utilized in some specific space fields due to the competitive responsive performances, self-assembling properties and easy magnetic manipulation. 9 Recently, LCs doped with various types of particles have received huge attention due to the particles' physical properties in combination with LCs' anisotropic and stimuli-responsive properties. [10][11][12] Taking into consideration the advantages of magnetic manipulation, a number of studies on ferromagnetic LCs including ferronematics have been reported that deal with LCs doped with magnetic nanoparticles, which can be manipulated using a very weak external magnetic field.…”