Abstract
In the realm of advanced smart manufacturing, the development of fast, sensitive, stable soft robots that can be driven by multiple stimuli remains a significant challenge. In this study, we developed a cellulose-based soft robot featuring a dual-layer structure. The top layer is a hydrophilic composite membrane made from cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), MXene nanosheets, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), henceforth referred to as the CNF@MXene-CNT (CMN) composite membrane, while the bottom layer consists of a hydrophobic Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) membrane. The soft robot exhibits highly sensitive and fast response towards humidity-, natural light and electrothermal stimuli, which can be attributed to the high humidity expansion (0.0005 (%RH)-1), photothermal conversion, and electrical thermal conversion of CMN composite membrane, also the distinctive expansion characteristics of CMN (−0.000757 °C−1) and BOPP (0.000137 (°C)-1). Remarkably, the soft robot can be actuated with merely 67 mW cm−2 of natural light or a power supply of 2.8 V, achieving a bending range of 360° with a corresponding bending curvature of 2.67 cm−1. The soft robot’s motion state and speed can be meticulously controlled, further emphasizing their vast applicability in various fields, including medical, industrial, aerospace, and beyond. The soft robot has been applied as a smart curtain, intelligent optical switch, and electrically controlled robot, demonstrating its exceptional multifunctionality and wide ranges of applications.
Published Version
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