Issue 46, 2011

Large-area graphene realizing ultrasensitive photothermal actuator with high transparency: new prototype robotic motions under infrared-light stimuli

Abstract

As transparent flexible electronics have recently become an emerging technology, they present great demands on the development of transparent soft actuators in the construction of invisible soft robots that would satisfy our daily lives with artificial intelligence devices. However, the current methodologies in building traditional soft actuators have intrinsically hampered the realization of high transparency devices with ultrasensitive responses. Herein, the utilization of large-area graphene successfully realizes the construction of transparent soft actuators with ultrasensitive responses, thereby opening the door for the design of three-dimensional (3D) intelligent models of transparent humanoid robots and micro-/nano-machines. The multiple synergic advantages of large-area graphene, especially its excellent IR absorption ability and ultra-thin dimensions, successfully bring together the excellent actuating sensitivity and high transparency, with the fascinating advantages of remote control, excellent mechanical strength, high sensitivity and high energy conversion efficiency. The transparent actuator model then builds a new bridge between mechanical behavior and the photo-thermal conversion effect not yet realized in other systems. Using infrared-light as the driving energy to realize complex robotic motions not only represents new prototype soft robot models, but also offers novel prospects for highly efficient solar light utilization, as well as the design of novel intelligent soft robot models.

Graphical abstract: Large-area graphene realizing ultrasensitive photothermal actuator with high transparency: new prototype robotic motions under infrared-light stimuli

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Jul 2011
Accepted
06 Sep 2011
First published
27 Oct 2011

J. Mater. Chem., 2011,21, 18584-18591

Large-area graphene realizing ultrasensitive photothermal actuator with high transparency: new prototype robotic motions under infrared-light stimuli

C. Wu, J. Feng, L. Peng, Y. Ni, H. Liang, L. He and Y. Xie, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 18584 DOI: 10.1039/C1JM13311J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements