Abstract
Here we describe the development of a humidity-responsive sheet of paper that is derived solely from natural pollen. Adaptive soft material components of the paper exhibit diverse and well-integrated responses to humidity that promote shape reconfiguration, actuation, and locomotion. This mechanically versatile and nonallergenic paper can generate a cyclically high contractile stress upon water absorption and desorption, and the rapid exchange of water drives locomotion due to hydrodynamic effects. Such dynamic behavior can be finely tuned by adjusting the structure and properties of the paper, including thickness, surface roughness, and processing conditions, analogous to those of classical soapmaking. We demonstrate that humidity-responsive paper-like actuators can mimic the blooming of the Michelia flower and perform self-propelled motion. Harnessing the material properties of bioinspired systems such as pollen paper opens the door to a wide range of sustainable, eco-friendly, and biocompatible material innovation platforms for applications in sensing, actuation, and locomotion.
Funder
National Research Foundation Singapore
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Nanyang Technological University
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Cited by
65 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献