Fabrication of Comb-type self-oscillating gels by atom transfer radical polymerization for controlling autonomous swelling/deswelling behavior

Abstract

In this study, we show the controlled self-oscillation behavior (i.e., the normalized amplitude, swelling rate, and deswelling rate) of self-oscillating gels by introducing grafted chains. The grafted chain was introduced to the base gel network by the “grafting from” method and atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). We demonstrated that the properties of the grafted chain, including the monomer composition and length of the chain, can lead to notable self-oscillation behavior. The strategy in this study can pave the way for realizing the desirable operational functions of biomimetic actuators.