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Self-regulated non-reciprocal motions in single-material microstructures

Author

Listed:
  • Shucong Li

    (Harvard University)

  • Michael M. Lerch

    (Harvard University
    University of Groningen)

  • James T. Waters

    (University of Pittsburgh)

  • Bolei Deng

    (Harvard University)

  • Reese S. Martens

    (Harvard University)

  • Yuxing Yao

    (Harvard University)

  • Do Yoon Kim

    (Harvard University)

  • Katia Bertoldi

    (Harvard University)

  • Alison Grinthal

    (Harvard University)

  • Anna C. Balazs

    (University of Pittsburgh)

  • Joanna Aizenberg

    (Harvard University
    Harvard University)

Abstract

Living cilia stir, sweep and steer via swirling strokes of complex bending and twisting, paired with distinct reverse arcs1,2. Efforts to mimic such dynamics synthetically rely on multimaterial designs but face limits to programming arbitrary motions or diverse behaviours in one structure3–8. Here we show how diverse, complex, non-reciprocal, stroke-like trajectories emerge in a single-material system through self-regulation. When a micropost composed of photoresponsive liquid crystal elastomer with mesogens aligned oblique to the structure axis is exposed to a static light source, dynamic dances evolve as light initiates a travelling order-to-disorder transition front, transiently turning the structure into a complex evolving bimorph that twists and bends via multilevel opto-chemo-mechanical feedback. As captured by our theoretical model, the travelling front continuously reorients the molecular, geometric and illumination axes relative to each other, yielding pathways composed from series of twisting, bending, photophobic and phototropic motions. Guided by the model, here we choreograph a wide range of trajectories by tailoring parameters, including illumination angle, light intensity, molecular anisotropy, microstructure geometry, temperature and irradiation intervals and duration. We further show how this opto-chemo-mechanical self-regulation serves as a foundation for creating self-organizing deformation patterns in closely spaced microstructure arrays via light-mediated interpost communication, as well as complex motions of jointed microstructures, with broad implications for autonomous multimodal actuators in areas such as soft robotics7,9,10, biomedical devices11,12 and energy transduction materials13, and for fundamental understanding of self-regulated systems14,15.

Suggested Citation

  • Shucong Li & Michael M. Lerch & James T. Waters & Bolei Deng & Reese S. Martens & Yuxing Yao & Do Yoon Kim & Katia Bertoldi & Alison Grinthal & Anna C. Balazs & Joanna Aizenberg, 2022. "Self-regulated non-reciprocal motions in single-material microstructures," Nature, Nature, vol. 605(7908), pages 76-83, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:605:y:2022:i:7908:d:10.1038_s41586-022-04561-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04561-z
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jun Kyu Choe & Junsoo Kim & Hyeonseo Song & Joonbum Bae & Jiyun Kim, 2023. "A soft, self-sensing tensile valve for perceptive soft robots," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Jianfeng Yang & M. Ravi Shankar & Hao Zeng, 2024. "Photochemically responsive polymer films enable tunable gliding flights," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. Marloes H. Bistervels & Balázs Antalicz & Marko Kamp & Hinco Schoenmaker & Willem L. Noorduin, 2023. "Light-driven nucleation, growth, and patterning of biorelevant crystals using resonant near-infrared laser heating," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Qing Li Zhu & Weixuan Liu & Olena Khoruzhenko & Josef Breu & Wei Hong & Qiang Zheng & Zi Liang Wu, 2024. "Animating hydrogel knotbots with topology-invoked self-regulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    5. Hongxing Wang & Longdi Cheng & Jianyong Yu & Yang Si & Bin Ding, 2024. "Biomimetic Bouligand chiral fibers array enables strong and superelastic ceramic aerogels," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.

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