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Research Article | Open Access

Highly stretchable oil gel biomedical robots

Lixia Wang1,2, Junxing Zhang1,2, Xiang Sun1,2, Aisong Chen1,2, Dongfang Wang1,2 ( ), Qian Li1,2
School of Mechanics and Safety Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
National Center for International Research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
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Graphical Abstract

The original Si-gel/pCrO2@SiO2 micro-robot can move efficiently and stably in different directions, while under the 60 mT premagnetization condition, the micro-robot can drive more efficiently without the same magnetic field.

Abstract

Although functional polymeric soft-bodied robots have received widespread attention in fields such as precision industry and biomedical engineering, the limited reconfigurability has restricted their further development. To meet the requirements of biomedical applications for device safety and reconfigurability, an organosilica gel (Si-gel)/high-purity chromium dioxide (pCrO2)@silica (SiO2) micro-robot is constructed using a solvothermal reaction method, which exhibits excellent biocompatibility and reconfigurable actuation. Wettability tests show that the oil-based gel maintains a high contact angle of 114.75° even after 600 s of water droplet exposure, demonstrating strong hydrophobicity and stability. Mechanical testing indicates that the obtained Si-gel displays higher fracture elongation (an increase of 174.64%) and elastic recovery (over 90% after 20 cycles of 100% tensile strain and 15 cycles of 80% compressive strain) compared to the original polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Magnetic actuation results demonstrate that pre-magnetization under a 60 mT field can achieve customized motion speeds from 29.5 to 70.0 mm/s without changing the external magnetic field. The device exhibits excellent stability under repeated high-temperature exposure, repeated magnetization, and hundreds of continuous driving cycles. Furthermore, the micro-robot shows promising biocompatibility and enhanced organic–inorganic compatibility, suggesting its potential as an effective alternative to catheter-implanted biomedical aids.

Keywords

biomedical robotmagnetic redefinabilityhighly hydrophobic gelsuper stretchability

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Nano Research
Volume 18 Issue 6,
June 2025
Article number: 94907408
DOI: 10.26599/NR.2025.94907408
Cite this article:
Wang L, Zhang J, Sun X, et al. Highly stretchable oil gel biomedical robots. Nano Research, 2025, 18(6): 94907408. https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2025.94907408
Topics:
FabricationGelsMagnetic materials Magnetic sensorsManufacture

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Received: 03 January 2025
Revised: 07 March 2025
Accepted: 28 March 2025
Published: 26 May 2025
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Tsinghua University Press.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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