Reciprocating Locomotion Of BZ Self-Oscillating Gel Driven By Gradient Light Intensity

Self-oscillating gel(BZ gel)as an important type of active matter,is constructed by the coupling of the ruthenium(II)catalyzed Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction(BZ reaction)with stimulus-responsive NIPAAm gel.The system can spontaneously transform the chemical energy to the mechanical energy and movement of the gel,which have theoretical significance and potential applications in the fields of bioinspired locomotion,functional materials and drug delivery systems.Previous theoretical studies revealed that the BZ gel can undergo controllable autonomous bioinspired movement.However,many challenges need to be overcome in the experiment research:(1)the relationships between mesoscopic structure of BZ gel and the stable propagation of chemical waves,the directional movement property of gel;(2)the design of bionic locomotion of the gel base on the dependence of light-sensitive directional movement of BZ gel.The conclusions were obtained as follows:Firstly,the relationships between the structure of BZ gel and the stable propagation of chemical waves.Exploring the proper ratio of cross-linking agent for BZ self-oscillating gel,obtained a gel with uniform and moderate void structure that could give an excellent diffusion performance of reactants and stable propagation of chemical waves.The motion performance study of BZ gel based on the stable propagating chemical waves.The experimental data showing that a large amplitude of volume expansion and contraction oscillation of the BZ gel is exist at the temperature range of 10-25 ?,and the effects of the microscopic structures on the chemical dynamics of the system and gel movement properties were studied.Secondly,the dependence of oscillating frequencies of the BZ gel on the light intensities was measured,which was then applied in the design of phototropic,photophobic,and reciprocating movements of the BZ gel.The spatial gradient difference of light intensities was set according to the relationship between the oscillation frequency and the light intensity,which illustrated that the self-oscillating BZ gel exhibit phototropic movement and photophobic movement as the values of the spatial difference gradient light intensity locating in the light-induced and light-suppressed regions of the light-oscillation frequency curve,respectively.The self-oscillating BZ gel could exhibit reciprocating locomotion as the value of the difference light intensity includes the peak light intensity.In summary,the paper presents the bionic movements such as BZ gel reciprocating locomotion in the experiments,related explorations and research conclusions establishing a foundation for further improving the performance of BZ self-oscillating gel and developing its new functions,such as multi-mode motion and practical brakes.The dissertation has 36 pictures,9 tables,and 107 references.