Soft actuators based on hydrogel materials, which can convert light energy directly into mechanical energy, are of the utmost importance, especially with enhancements in device development. However, the hunt for specific photothermal nanomaterials with distinct performance remains challenging. In this study, we successfully fabricated a bilayer hydrogel actuator consisting of an active photothermal layer from incorporated Ti3C2Tx MXene in poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) p(NIPAm)hydrogel structure and a passive layer from the N-(2-hydroxylethylpropyl)acrylamide (HEAA) hydrogel structure. The uniform and effective incorporation of MXene into the NIPAm hydrogel structures were characterized by a battery of techniques. The light responsive swelling properties of the MXene-embedded NIPAm-based hydrogel demonstrated fully reversible and repeatable behavior in the light on-off regime for up to ten consecutive cycles. The effect of MXene loading, the shape of the actuator, and the light source effects on the bilayer NIPAm-HEAA hydrogel structure were investigated. The bilayer hydrogel with MXene loading of 0.3% in the NIPAm hydrogel exhibited a 200% change of the bending angle in terms of its bidirectional shape/volume after 100 s exposure to white light at an intensity of 70 mW cm-2. Additionally, the bending behavior under real sunlight was evaluated, showing the material's potential applicability in practical environments.
Keywords: MXene; NIPAm; bilayer hydrogel; photoactuator.