A bioinspired smart material that swells and contracts could be used to make optical lenses
Source: © Royal Society of Chemistry
The researchers designed a flexible lens using their biocompatible hydrogel
Scientists in China have designed a biocompatible hydrogel based on the bilayer structure of plant organs. The material, which can swell and contract in response to pH changes, could be used to make optical lenses.
Plant organs like pine cones and wheat awns have inspired scientists to design smart materials that can undergo 3D shape transformations in response to external triggers, such as pH changes. However these materials are often made from synthetic polymers, which can limit their biocompatibility.
Read the full story by Suzanne Howson in Chemistry World.
This article is free to access until 25 January 2016.
J Duan et al., Soft Matter, 2017. DOI: 10.1039/C6SM02089E
