Stimuli-responsive gel actuator driven by infrared light

Abstract

This study presents a stimuli-responsive gel-based gripper that can be wirelessly manipulated using infrared (IR) light. We fabricated IR-responsive gel (pNIPAM-SWCNT gel) by uniformly dispersed single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) that efficiently absorb IR light and generates heat. We confirmed that pNIPAM-SWCNT gel has IRresponsiveness by IR irradiation experiment. By using a photomask, we successfully patterned the gel in the shape of a gripper. We believe that our gel gripper could be applied to a remote controlled manipulator in vivo, and contribute to the development of non-invasive treatment.