Polydopamine-modified MXene-integrated photothermal responsive hydrogel for constructing rapid photothermal and self-sensing gradient hydrogel actuators

Abstract Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based stimuli-responsive hydrogel actuators have made significant progress. By introducing responsive modules such as photothermal nanoparticles, the hydrogel can respond to environmental changes and construct anisotropic structures, allowing the hydrogel actuators to quickly bend and realize complex shape deformation. However, there remains a need to enhance the mechanical properties of these hydrogels to accommodate multiple deformation actions and different application scenarios, and enhance the compatibility between nanoparticles and the hydrogels to improve the comprehensive performance of materials are still issues that need to be solved. In this study, we modified two-dimensional MXene nanosheets with polydopamine (PDA) to obtain P-MXene, which served as a photothermal agent and can be stably dispersed within the hydrogel system. We copolymerized thermosensitive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) in situ and used a direct current electric field to induce a concentration gradient distribution of P-MXene nanosheets within the hydrogel, resulting in the preparation of anisotropic gradient hydrogel actuators with good stretchability and conductivity. The hydrogel structure was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and the Fourier transform infrared spectra. The swelling properties, mechanical properties and conductivity of the hydrogel were studied. The actuation behavior of P(NIPAm-DMAEMA)/P-MXene gradient hydrogel actuators under different thickness and electric field intensity was investigated. Additionally, the sensitivity and stability of the conductive hydrogel actuators were tested and the functions of monitoring human health and information transmission were realized. It integrated with rapid photo responsiveness and self-sensing capabilities to monitor the deformation process of the actuators through real-time relative resistance changes during the actuations. This work is expected to expand the application field of soft hydrogel actuators and provide new insights into the design of a new generation of soft robots.