Instant tough bonding of hydrogels for soft machines and electronics

Wirthl, Daniela; Pichler, Robert; Drack, Michael; Kettlguber, Gerald; Moser, Richard; Gerstmayr, Robert; Hartmann, Florian; Bradt, Elke; Kaltseis, Rainer; Siket, Christian M.; Schausberger, Stefan E.; Hild, Sabine; Bauer, Siegfried; Kaltenbrunner, Martin

doi:10.1126/sciadv.1700053

Cited by 398 publications

(373 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Recent work has further improved the integration of such circuit components, demonstrating hydrogel self-healing and enhanced bonding between tough hydrogels and a wide variety of other materials. This work enables stretchable batteries, adaptive lenses and energy-harvesting devices 116 , and reveals the utility of these materials in untethered systems.…”

Section: Nature Electronicsmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Alternatively, components for power delivery can be engineered to be more lightweight and flexible in order to improve the portability of untethered soft devices. Recent work includes stretchable batteries 116,125 and elements that generate power by harvesting sweat in a stretchable electronic-skin-based biofuel cell 81 , incorporating flexible photovoltaics into a skin-conformal layer 126 or including thin stretchable triboelectric nanogenerators 127 .…”

Section: Nature Electronicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Untethered soft robotics

2018

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Research in soft matter engineering has introduced new approaches in robotics and wearable devices that can interface with the human body and adapt to unpredictable environments. However, many promising applications are limited by the dependence of soft systems on electrical or pneumatic tethers. Recent work in soft actuation and electronics has made removing such cords more feasible, heralding a variety of applications from autonomous field robotics to wireless biomedical devices. Here we review the development of functional untethered soft robotics. We focus on recent advances in soft robotic actuation, sensing and integration as they relate to untethered systems, and consider the key challenges the field faces in engineering systems that could have practical use in real-world conditions.

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Section: Nature Electronicsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Nature Electronicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untethered soft robotics

2018

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“…Recently, bioactive coating of MEAs using hydrogels has been introduced in an effort to overcome the mechanical mismatch of the metal-biological interface. [47][48][49][50][51] Adding a soft hydrogel layer to neuronal implants significantly decreases the local strain and modulates the immune response in the brain. 52,53 Likewise, several methods have been investigated to fabricate bioelectronic interfaces on flexible substrates such as polyimide 6,54 and parylene 42,55 , or to transfer a metallic pattern onto soft polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Printed microelectrode arrays on soft materials: from PDMS to hydrogels

et al. 2018

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Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) provide promising opportunities to study electrical signals in neuronal and cardiac cell networks, restore sensory function, or treat disorders of the nervous system. Nevertheless, most of the currently investigated devices rely on silicon or polymer materials, which neither physically mimic nor mechanically match the structure of living tissue, causing inflammatory response or loss of functionality. Here, we present a new method for developing soft MEAs as bioelectronic interfaces. The functional structures are directly deposited on PDMS-, agarose-, and gelatin-based substrates using ink-jet printing as a patterning tool. We demonstrate the versatility of this approach by printing high-resolution carbon MEAs on PDMS and hydrogels. The soft MEAs are used for in vitro extracellular recording of action potentials from cardiomyocyte-like HL-1 cells. Our results represent an important step toward the design of next-generation bioelectronic interfaces in a rapid prototyping approach.npj Flexible Electronics (2018) 2:15 ;

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“…Inspired by the human tactile performance and the physio‐mechanical architecture of biological tissues and skin, various artificial electronic skin constructs have been fabricated with soft materials to detect several macroscopic stimuli, such as mechanical pressure, stretch, and temperature simultaneously 5, 9, 10, 11. Among the most utilized and important elements in artificial electronic skins are the deformable capacitors that can differentiate arbitrary pressure, shear, and torsion induced by a finger 4, 12, 13.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon Nanofiber versus Graphene‐Based Stretchable Capacitive Touch Sensors for Artificial Electronic Skin

et al. 2017

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Stretchable capacitive devices are instrumental for new‐generation multifunctional haptic technologies particularly suited for soft robotics and electronic skin applications. A majority of elongating soft electronics still rely on silicone for building devices or sensors by multiple‐step replication. In this study, fabrication of a reliable elongating parallel‐plate capacitive touch sensor, using nitrile rubber gloves as templates, is demonstrated. Spray coating both sides of a rubber piece cut out of a glove with a conductive polymer suspension carrying dispersed carbon nanofibers (CnFs) or graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) is sufficient for making electrodes with low sheet resistance values (≈10 Ω sq−1). The electrodes based on CnFs maintain their conductivity up to 100% elongation whereas the GnPs‐based ones form cracks before 60% elongation. However, both electrodes are reliable under elongation levels associated with human joints motility (≈20%). Strikingly, structural damages due to repeated elongation/recovery cycles could be healed through annealing. Haptic sensing characteristics of a stretchable capacitive device by wrapping it around the fingertip of a robotic hand (ICub) are demonstrated. Tactile forces as low as 0.03 N and as high as 5 N can be easily sensed by the device under elongation or over curvilinear surfaces.

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Instant tough bonding of hydrogels for soft machines and electronics

Abstract: A strategy for bonding water-rich hydrogels to diverse materials for electronic skins, energy storage, and soft optics is reported.

Cited by 398 publications

References 58 publications

Untethered soft robotics

Untethered soft robotics

Printed microelectrode arrays on soft materials: from PDMS to hydrogels

Carbon Nanofiber versus Graphene‐Based Stretchable Capacitive Touch Sensors for Artificial Electronic Skin

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