Self-oscillating gels driven by the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction as novel smart materials.
So far stimuli-responsive polymer gels and their application to smart materials have been widely studied; this research has contributed to progress in gel science and engineering. For their development as a novel biomimetic polymer, studies of polymers with an autonomous self-oscillating function have been carried out since the first reports in 1996. The development of novel self-oscillating polymers and gels have been successful utilizing the oscillating reaction, called the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, which is recognized as a chemical model for understanding several autonomous phenomena in biological systems. The self-oscillating polymer is composed of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) network in which the catalyst for the BZ reaction is covalently immobilized. In the presence of the reactants, the polymer undergoes spontaneous cyclic soluble-insoluble changes or swelling-deswelling changes (in the case of gel) without any on-off switching of external stimuli. Potential applications of the self-socillating polymers and gels include several kinds of functional material systems, such as biomimetic actuators and mass transport surface.
Yoshida
Ryo
R
Department of Materials Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan. ryo@cross.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry*; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D055616:Microtechnology; D009038:Motion; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry
D005782:Gels; D011108:Polymers