Soft actuators of organized self-oscillating microgels

Abstract

Autonomously oscillating soft actuators have been successfully obtained by assembling pre-existing microgel particles. The amplitude of the actuator's oscillation could be controlled by selecting the types of oscillations of constituent microelements, i.e., swelling–deswelling or cooperative dispersing–flocculating motion of the microgels. The new actuators prepared by this fabrication process make the oscillating actuators suitable for practical use in microfluidic devices such as self-beating micropumps.