Posted on 08/26/2026 7:06:21 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a new photoresponsive hydrogel whose 3D shape can effectively expand, change, or even be rewritten into an entirely different configuration depending on where light strikes it.
In experiments reported in Nature Communications, the material expanded more than 80,000% within 40 seconds and could be repeatedly programmed into helices, twists, and hybrid structures.
Researchers also used its light-controlled motion to lift objects and drive a miniature rotary system, pointing toward possible applications in smart materials and soft robotics.
The ability to program the material after it has already been formed makes the breakthrough especially unusual.
Many shape-changing materials are manufactured with their future behavior already built into them. Different layers, directional fibers, compositional gradients, and pre-patterned structures determine how they will eventually bend, curl, or twist. Once fabricated, those instructions can be difficult, if not impossible, to change.
The new hydrogel begins as a structurally uniform material, with the asymmetry required for complex motion instead created temporarily by the pattern of incoming light. The key to making that possible is an unusually powerful swelling response.
The researchers incorporated a light-sensitive molecule known as spiropyran into a polymer network. When illuminated, the molecule experiences a chemical change that alters the electrical interactions between portions of the polymer. Attractions that normally help keep the network compact weaken or become repulsive, allowing the chains to spread apart and absorb large amounts of water.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedebrief.org ...
I thought 💠about it lol 🤣
You’re right; I was on the fence about them, but we’re in a race with our enemies that we can’t afford to lose.
Plenty of NIMBYs here on FR. Overrun with them, really.
This is the corollary to “girls all get prettier at closing time”. In the morning light, they look 80,000% bigger.
Wow they have created material shadow!
At last, we have a treatment for ED.
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