Incompatible Geometry Regulation of Nanowire Assemblies Enabled Light‐Driven Shape Morphing and Motions

Abstract

AbstractPhotoresponsive shape‐changing materials have significant applications in miniaturized smart robotics and biomedicine powered in a remote and wireless manner. Existing light‐fuelled soft materials suffer from limited continuous shape manipulation and constrained mobility and locomotive modes. One promising solution is developing a hierarchical structure design approach to integrate rapid, reversible photoactive molecular alignment and mechanically incompatible geometry in a macroscopic system. Here, a nanowire assemblies‐induced geometry engineering method is reported for the fabrication of silver nanowire‐incorporated nematic liquid crystalline elastomers with prominent anisotropic structures at multi‐length scales and incompatible elasticity that show sharp morphological transitions among the rings, helicoids, and spirals with diverse helical configurations. The engineered composite films can realize complex light‐driven motions including rotating, rolling, and jumping with the controlled directionality and magnitude that are pre‐encoded in their both molecular and macroscopic configurations. Owing to the great controllability of multimodal locomotion, a spiral robot can undertake task‐specific configuration to climb up complex terrains. The complete regulatory relationship among molecular orientation, shape geometry, and light‐driven motions is also established. This study may open an avenue for elaborate design and precise fabrication of novel shape‐morphing materials for future applications in intelligent robotic systems.