Converting water adsorption and capillary condensation in useable forces with simple porous inorganic thin films

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel humidity-driven actuation system using nanoporous silica thin films that convert water adsorption and capillary condensation into mechanical work, enabling customizable humidity-responsive actuators.

Contribution

It demonstrates a new method to generate mechanical actuation from water interactions in simple nanoporous silica films, expanding the potential for surface chemistry driven actuators.

Findings

Reversible surface energy modifications control actuation.

Silica film contraction produces usable mechanical energy.

Actuation performance depends on nanostructure and support thickness.

Abstract

This work reports an innovative humidity driven actuation concept based on Bangham effect using simple nanoporous sol-gel silica thin films as humidity responsive materials. Bilayer shaped actuators, consisting on a humidity-sensitive active nanostructured silica film deposited on a polymeric substrate (Kapton) were demonstrated as an original mean to convert water molecule adsorption and capillary condensation in useable mechanical work. Reversible silica surface energy modifications by water adsorption and the energy produced by the rigid silica film contraction, induced by water capillary condensation in mesopores, were finely controlled and used as the energy sources. The influence of the film nanostructure (microporosity, mesoporosity) and thickness, and of the polymeric support thickness, on the actuation force, on the movement speed, and on the amplitude of displacement are clearly evidenced and discussed. We show that the global mechanical response of such silica-based actuators can be easily adjusted to fabricate a humidity variation triggered tailor-made actuation systems. This first insight in hard ceramic stimulus responsive materials may open the door toward new generation of surface chemistry driven actuation systems.