New technology development using polymer materials with autonomous function

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H02198
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Polymer/Textile materials
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Yoshida Ryo 東京大学, 大学院工学系研究科(工学部), 教授 (80256495)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 高分子ゲル / 機能性材料 / 自励振動 / 自己組織化 / 生体模倣 / ソフトマテリアル / 非平衡ダイナミックス / 自律性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

“Self-oscillating” polymer gels that undergo spontaneous cyclic swelling-deswelling changes without any on-off switching of external stimuli, as with heart muscle, were developed by the researcher. The self-oscillating gels were designed by utilizing the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, an oscillating reaction as a chemical model of self-organization in living systems. Self-oscillation in several scales such as contraction and expansion of polymer chain, aggregation and disaggregation of polymer micelle and vesicle, sol-gel transition of polymer solution, volume changes, peristaltic motion, were realized. Potential applications of the self-oscillating polymers and gels include several kinds of functional material systems such as biomimetic actuators, mass transport systems and functional fluids, e.g., artificial cilia, artificial amoeba, artificial cell, artificial heart muscle, artificial transport tube, autonomous soft actuator (soft robot).

Free Research Field

高分子ゲル

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

自励振動ゲルは、ゲル研究分野において唯一、"外部刺激のon-offなしに自ら膨潤収縮振動を起こす”独創的なゲルである。学術的にも、生体の自己組織化現象の化学モデルにもなっているBZ反応を、ポリマーネットワークの周期的体積変化（力学変化）に変換し、機能性材料設計に応用した世界でも最初の研究でもある。ゲルの機能性材料としての新しい可能性を提唱し、散逸構造を利用した自己組織化４次元マテリアルとしての新しい学理を築いた研究として高分子科学、材料科学、非平衡科学等の分野で先導的な役割を果たした。