Cover Image, Volume 35, Issue 2

Abstract

The cover image is based on the Research Article Wireless electromechanical enantio‐responsive valves by Gerardo Salinas et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/chir.23521.

Wireless Electrochemical Gel Actuators

“…For example, the response speed is comparable or an order of magnitude slower compared to those of the previous wireless electrochemical soft actuators. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] We believe that future study of our system in addition to the pioneering system [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] and other future wireless systems will contribute to the development of soft robots.…”

“…In this context, wireless electrochemical soft actuators have been developed using a combination of bipolar electrochemistry and a conducting polymer, polypyrrole (PPy). [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] In conventional electrochemistry, redox reactions occur on the surfaces of two electrodes connected to a power supply (Figure 1a). On the other hand, in bipolar electrochemistry, a conductor is placed between a pair of driving electrodes in a dilute supporting electrolyte solution, and anodic and cathodic reactions simultaneously occur at the terminals of the conductor, which acts as a bipolar electrode (BPE), without any direct electrical contact under an applied electric field (Figure 1b).…”

“…The previous studies achieved bending of PPy films and pumping with PPy tubes by bipolar electrochemical redox reactions resulting in uptake/release of ions and solvent in the polymer to maintain electroneutrality and swelling/shrinking of the polymer. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] However, all reported wireless electrochemical soft actuators are based on only the system, i.e., the combination of bipolar electrochemistry with the conducting polymer, PPy. A variety of mechanisms, materials, and motion of soft actuators is definitely indispensable in the development of soft robots.…”

Wireless electrochemical actuation of soft materials towards chiral stimuli

“…Therefore, the device works well even in the presence of chemically different chiral analytes in the same solution. Finally, although the proposed set-up has characteristic dimensions in the millimeter scale, in principle they can be scaled down to smaller dimensions in order to design micro-valves for 81…”

“…Finally, although the proposed set-up has characteristic dimensions in the millimeter scale, in principle they can be scaled down to smaller dimensions in order to design micro-valves for microfluidics. 81…”