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A novel gel actuator exhibits a peristaltic motion is designed. We proposed a new approach of coupling an acid-autocatalytic reaction and a pH-responsive gel in order to cause contraction waves. The poly(AAm-co-AAc) microphase-separated tubular gel was synthesized, which can be inflowed reaction solution to its hollow. We focused on its kinetics and evaluated the characteristics of the microphase-separated gels. And we also demonstrated that the propagation of the contraction region occurs in the tubular gel. Our final goal is to develop a biomimetic chemical robot, which realizes a peristaltic locomotion by forming contraction waves like a snail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce self-oscillating gel actuators for chemical robotics. The polymer gels prepared here have cyclic reaction networks like in a metabolic process itself. With a cyclic reaction, the polymer gel swells–shrinks autonomously. The periodic self-oscillating motion of the gel is produced by the dissipating chemical energy of the oscillatory Belouzov–Zhabotinsky reaction. We have succeeded in making the synthetic polymer gel walk autonomously like a living organism. This experimental fact represents the great possibility of the chemical robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]