Development of self-oscillating polymers and gels with autonomous function

Abstract

In this study, polymers with an autonomous self-oscillating function were examined to obtain a novel biomimetic polymer. The author succeeded in developing a novel self-oscillating polymer and gel by using the oscillating reaction called the Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, which is recognized as a chemical model for understanding several autonomous phenomena in biological systems. The self-oscillating polymer is composed of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) network in which the catalyst for the BZ reaction is covalently immobilized. Under the coexistence of reactants, the polymer undergoes spontaneous cyclic soluble–insoluble changes or swelling–deswelling changes (in the case of gel) without any on–off switching of external stimuli. Several kinds of functional material systems using self-oscillating polymer and gel, such as biomimetic actuators and mass transport surfaces, are expected. To obtain a novel biomimetic polymer, we have been studying polymers with an autonomous self-oscillating function. We succeeded in developing a novel self-oscillating polymer and gel by using an oscillating reaction, called the Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, which is recognized as a chemical model for understanding several autonomous phenomena in biological systems. The self-oscillating polymer is composed of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) network in which the catalyst for the BZ reaction is covalently immobilized. Under the coexistence of the reactants, the polymer undergoes spontaneous cyclic soluble–insoluble changes or swelling–deswelling changes (in the case of gel) without any on–off switching of external stimuli. Several kinds of functional material systems using the self-oscillating polymer and gel, such as biomimetic actuators, mass transport surface and so on, are expected.