Photothermal Nanocomposite Hydrogel Actuator with Electric-Field-Induced Gradient and Oriented Structure

Recent research of hydrogel actuators is still not sophisticated enough to meet the requirement of fast, reversible, complex, and robust reconfiguration. Here, we present a new kind of poly­(<i>N</i>-isopropylacrylamide)/graphene oxide gradient hydrogel by utilizing direct current electric field to induce gradient and oriented distribution of graphene oxide into poly­(<i>N</i>-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel. Upon near-infrared light irradiation, the hydrogel exhibited excellent comprehensive actuation performance as a result of directional bending deformation, promising great potential in the application of soft actuators and optomechanical system