Natural materials show fascinating and sophisticated control methods to rapidly sense external stimuli and adapt accordingly. In contrast it is highly challenging to mimic such capabilities in synthetic materials such as gels and elastomers, to alter multiple mechanical stiffness on demand within one bulk material. Here, we introduce facile electric field as programmable stimulus to fabricate thiol-ene composites and show how their mechanical properties adapt with the controllable electric input. The adaption is regulated by a responsive transducer, piezoelecrtric ZnO nanoparticles, which control a crosslinking reaction between thiol and alkene monomers, resulting in tunable moduli as a function of voltage, time, and the frequency of the applied AC power. After applying electricity at specific voltages and locations, the material can sense and adapt accordingly based on the distribution of electric field strength. Furthermore, we showcase electric-field-adaptive multi-stiffness gel and electro-adhesive using this technique. This simple and generalizable design opens avenues for facile application in adaptive damping and variable-rigidity materials, adhesive, soft robotics, and tissue engineering.

Programmable material via controllable electric-field-induced crosslinking

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.