Bio-inspired Structure-editing Fluorescent Hydrogel Actuators for Environment-interactive Information Encryption

Many living organisms have the superb structure-editing capacity for better adaptation in dynamic environments over the course of their life cycle. However, it's still challenging to replicate such natural structure-editing capacity into artificial hydrogel actuating systems for enhancing environment-interactive functions. Herein, we learn from the metamorphosis development of glowing octopus to construct proof-of-concept fluorescent hydrogel actuators with life-like structure-editing capacity by developing a universal stepwise inside-out growth strategy. These actuators could perform origami-like 3D shape deformation and also enable the postnatal growth of new structures to adapt additional actuating states for different visual information delivery by using different environment keys (e.g., temperature, pH). This study opens previously unidentified-avenues of bio-inspired hydrogel actuators/robotics and extends the potential uses for environment-interactive information encryption.