Multi-functional and integrated actuator based on carbon nanotube–cellulose nanofiber composites

Soft multi‐layer actuators integrated with the functions of electrical energy harvest and storage

“…However, the actuating materials with the ability of harvest and storage energy are still rare. Based on the advantages of large deformations of soft actuators, researchers have attempted to combine a series of functional materials (such as piezoelectric materials, [41] perovskite materials, [42] pseudocapacitance materials, [33,43,44] etc.) on the actuation materials to collect and storage electrical energy through physical laws such as triboelectric effect (Figure 1b), pyroelectric effect (Figure 1c), hydroelectric effects (Figure 1d), and the electric double layer capacitor (Figure 1e).…”

“…Among them, multi‐functional, soft, and integrated actuators which integrate energy storage functions in soft actuators and miniaturize their volume are much needed. Thus, in addition to the above‐mentioned actuators with integrated energy generation functions, the actuators integrated with energy storage functions have also developed rapidly [43,44,65–68] . For example, soft supercapacitors are widely used in the field of actuators integrated with energy storage functions due to their flexible structure [33,44, 65] .…”

“…Consequently, Weng's group has devised a series of multi‐functional actuators, as illustrated in Figure 6, which successfully integrate the functions of energy storage and actuation. In detail, the conductive films (such as PANI/RGO/CNT, [67] polyaniline@carbon nanotube‐cellulose nanofibers (PANI@CNT‐CNF), [43] polyaniline@carbon nanotube‐bacterial cellulose (PANI@CNT‐BC), [33] et al) employed in the construction of the soft actuators integrated with supercapacitors serve as electrodes, current collectors, and conductive connectors simultaneously. The actuation functionality is achieved by designing the polymer layer as the active layer in the multi‐functional actuator, while the conductive films act as the energy storage layer and the inert layer.…”

“…Ye et al. proposed the use of composites consisting of PANI@CNT‐CNF to develop an integrated actuator [43] . When subjected to NIR light with an intensity of 250 mW cm −2 , the integrated actuator undergoes a deflection of 45°.…”

Facile Synthesis of Dual-Functional Cross-Linked Membranes with Contact-Killing Antimicrobial Properties and Humidity-Response

“…The primary categories of humidity-responsive sensors/actuators include multilayer actuators [23], which leverage the differences in hydrophilicity between materials or layers to induce a response, and monolayer actuators [24], which incorporate one or more hydrophilic materials in their structure and react to asymmetrical stimuli. Furthermore, humidity-sensitive materials like hydrogels, cellulose nanofibers, etc., can be combined with other humidity-inert materials to form humidity-responsive bilayer actuators, enhancing control over the actuators' deformations [25].…”