Mr. Fan Mo - M.Sc. Candidate
29/10/2026
אודיטוריום ע"ש דויד וואנג, בניין מידן, קומה 3
13:30
Soft hydrogel actuators interfacing with living tissues must combine reliable attachment with programmed disengagement after completing their function. This seminar will present a self-terminating bilayer hydrogel actuator that incorporates an intrinsic mechanical “off-switch” into a printed responsive material architecture. Using multilayer digital light processing, PNIPAM/BSA–PEGDA(Trypsin) bilayers were fabricated in which PNIPAM drives rapid closure at physiological temperature (37 °C), while BSA–PEGDA(Trypsin) undergoes enzyme-programmed softening. Proteolysis progressively reduces bilayer constraint and curvature-sustaining stiffness, converting biochemical activity into time-dependent mechanical transitions. Furthermore, actuator behaviors and therapeutic approaches, including printing-dependent actuation, trypsin encapsulation and release, retained proteolytic activity, and time-dependent modulus loss, were characterized. Anchoring on a mucin-mimicking interface is visualized by microscopy and time-lapse imaging, while ex vivo tests on porcine small intestine demonstrate robust retention under controlled dynamic motion with millinewton-scale gripping forces. Together, this work presents a materials-based strategy that enables a single hydrogel device to complete a sequence of deployment, anchoring, local function, and self-release for potential gastrointestinal applications.