Lifetime-configurable soft robots via photodegradable silicone elastomer composites

Abstract

Developing soft robots that can control their own life cycle and degrade on-demand while maintaining hyper elasticity is a notable research challenge. On-demand degradable soft robots, which conserve their original functionality during operation and rapidly degrade under specific external stimulation, present the opportunity to self-direct the disappearance of temporary robots. This study proposes soft robots and materials that exhibit excellent mechanical stretchability and can degrade under ultraviolet light by mixing a fluoride-generating diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate with a silicone resin. Spectroscopic analysis revealed the mechanism of Si-O-Si backbone cleavage using fluoride ion (F-) and thermal analysis indicated accelerated decomposition at elevated temperatures. In addition, we demonstrated a robotics application by fabricating electronics integrated gaiting robot and a fully closed-loop trigger disintegration robot for autonomous, application-oriented functionalities. This study provides a simple yet novel strategy for designing life cycle mimicking soft robotics that can be applied to reduce soft robotics waste, explore hazardous areas, and ensure hardware security with on demand destructive material platforms.