Integrated conductive hydrogel soft actuators for remote photothermal actuation and multimodal self-sensing

Abstract

acrylamide (AM) copolymerization and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) network integration, which synergistically enhance mechanical strength and toughness. The incorporation of MXene nanosheets endows the hydrogel with stable, repeatable, and ultrasensitive piezoresistive sensing performance. Moreover, the hydrogel exhibits excellent photothermal actuation under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, enabling remote, light-actuation deformation coupled with real-time self-sensing. To enrich its sensing modalities, a piezoelectric composite layer composed of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) and barium titanate [P(VDF-TrFE)/BTO] is integrated, allowing simultaneous detection of strain amplitude, movement direction, and velocity. As a proof of concept, a biomimetic octopus predation system was constructed, showcasing the potential of this integrated actuator-sensor platform for intelligent soft robotic systems.