Abstract:
In recent years, thermally responsive soft actuators have attracted considerable attention in the fields of wearable devices and soft robotics due to their miniaturized and lightweight characteristics. However, most existing thermally responsive soft actuators lack self-perception capabilities and depend on external sensing modules for temperature detection. This reliance not only introduces signal latency but also compromises the originally compact structure of the actuators, significantly limiting their practical applications. To address this challenge, we propose a fabrication strategy for a bilayer soft actuator that integrates autonomous temperature perception. Utilizing PDMS(Polydimethylsiloxane) and GO(Graphene oxide) as the active and passive layers respectively, we constructed a bilayer structure through a straightforward spin-coating process. Concurrently, an in-situ chemically polymerized PDA-Zn
2+ thermochromic layer was incorporated to endow the actuator with broad-range visual temperature perception. The fabricated soft actuator demonstrates exceptional thermal actuation performance along with notable thermochromic properties, achieving a maximum bending curvature of 1.65 cm
−1 as the temperature increases from 40℃ to 120℃, accompanied by a chromaticity shift from (0.27, 0.27) to (0.41, 0.32). Furthermore, we developed a biomimetic color-changing flower based on the fabricated actuator, showcasing seamless integration of thermal-responsive actuation with visual temperature self-perception. This work provides new insights into the development and application of intelligent soft actuators.