Combining multiple soft materials into a complex machine requires an entirely new toolbox

An unmodified hydrogel (left) peels off easily from an elastomer. A chemically-bonded hydrogel and elastomer (right) are tough to peel apart, leaving residue behind (Image courtesy of Suo Lab/Harvard SEAS)

Technique paves the way for more complex soft devices

Every complex human tool, from the first spear to latest smartphone, has contained multiple materials wedged, tied, screwed, glued or soldered together. But the next generation of tools, from autonomous squishy robots to flexible wearables, will be soft. Combining multiple soft materials into a complex machine requires an entirely new toolbox — after all, there’s no such thing as a soft screw.

Current methods to combine soft materials are limited, relying on glues or surface treatments that can restrict the manufacturing process. For example, it doesn’t make much sense to apply glue or perform surface treatment before each drop of ink falls off during a 3D printing session. But now, researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a new method to chemically bond multiple soft materials independent of the manufacturing process. In principle, the method can be applied in any manufacturing processes, including but 3D printing and coating. This technique opens the door to manufacturing more complex soft machines.

“This technique allows us to bond various hydrogels and elastomers in various manufacturing processes without sacrificing the properties of the materials,” said Qihan Liu, a postdoctoral fellow at SEAS and co-first author of the paper. “We hope that this will pave the way for rapid-prototyping and mass-producing biomimetic soft devices for healthcare, fashion and augmented reality.”

The researchers also demonstrated that hydrogels — which as the name implies are mostly water — can be made heat resistant in high temperatures using a bonded coating, extending the temperature range that hydrogel-based device can be used. For example, a hydrogel-based wearable device can now be ironed without boiling.

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