Scientists Create Material That Can Shapeshift and Expand 80,000% Using Only Light

A team of researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China has developed a new photoresponsive hydrogel that can shapeshift and expand up to 80,000% in just 40 seconds. The material can be programmed to form helices, twists, and hybrid structures through precise light illumination. The hydrogel is made from a polymer network with a light-sensitive molecule called spiropyran, which changes its chemical state when exposed to light, causing the polymer chains to swell and expand. The material can be repeatedly reprogrammed after being manufactured, making it different from conventional shape-changing materials that are pre-programmed. The hydrogel can also be used to lift objects and drive a miniature rotary system, suggesting potential applications in soft robotics and smart materials. The research was reported in Nature Communications, and the team claims the material can achieve ultrafast, programmable handed shape-morphing. The ability to reprogram the material after it has been formed is unusual, as most shape-changing materials are pre-programmed. The hydrogel's swelling response is exceptionally powerful, allowing it to expand dramatically with minimal light exposure.

• The material can be programmed to form helices, twists, and hybrid structures through precise light illumination.
• The hydrogel is made from a polymer network with a light-sensitive molecule called spiropyran, which changes its chemical state when exposed to light, causing the polymer chains to swell and expand.
• The material can be repeatedly reprogrammed after being manufactured, making it different from conventional shape-changing materials that are pre-programmed.
• The hydrogel can be used to lift objects and drive a miniature rotary system, suggesting potential applications in soft robotics and smart materials.
• The research was reported in Nature Communications, and the team claims the material can achieve ultrafast, programmable handed shape-morphing.
• The ability to reprogram the material after it has been formed is unusual, as most shape-changing materials are pre-programmed.
• The hydrogel's swelling response is exceptionally powerful, allowing it to expand dramatically with minimal light exposure.

The study, "Reconfiguring handed shape-morphing and actuation in hydrogels via light-encoded rapid expansion," appeared in Nature Communications. The researchers note that the material will need faster response times to compete with some other classes of soft actuators. Further research might improve the efficiency of its molecular photoswitches and redesign the polymer network so water can move through it more quickly. The wider concept suggests a different way of thinking about programmable matter. Instead of manufacturing a material with one predetermined set of movements, its instructions could arrive afterward as a pattern of light, then disappear and be replaced whenever a different behavior is needed. The core innovation of this work lies in the achievement of precise, reversible regulation of structural handedness in homogeneous hydrogels purely via external optical modulation.

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