Programmable adhesion and morphing of protein hydrogels for underwater robots

Abstract

Soft robots capable of efficiently implementing tasks in fluid-immersed environments hold great promise for diverse applications. However, it remains challenging to achieve robotization that relies on dynamic underwater adhesion and morphing capability. Here we propose the construction of such robots with designer protein materials. Firstly, a resilin-like protein is complexed with polyoxometalate anions to form hydrogels that can rapidly switch between soft adhesive and stiff non-adhesive states in aqueous environments in response to small temperature variation. To realize remote control over dynamic adhesion and morphing, Fe3O4 nanoparticles are then integrated into the hydrogels to form soft robots with photothermal and magnetic responsiveness. These robots are demonstrated to undertake complex tasks including repairing artificial blood vessel, capturing and delivering multiple cargoes in water under cooperative control of infrared light and magnetic field. These findings pave an avenue for the creation of protein-based underwater robots with on-demand functionalities.