Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37777525›Full record

ArticleNature communications2023

Programmable nanocomposites of cellulose nanocrystals and zwitterionic hydrogels for soft robotics.

Rasool Nasseri, Negin Bouzari, Junting Huang, Hossein Golzar, Sarah Jankhani, Xiaowu Shirley Tang, Tizazu H Mekonnen, Amirreza Aghakhani, Hamed Shahsavan

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

33 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Impact-Resistant Hydrogels Via Quaternary Ammonium-Regulated Networks.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2026
    Article
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  6. Article
  7. Article
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  10. Review
  11. A Review on Biodegradable Materials of Sustainable Soft Robotics and Electronics.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Review
  12. Review
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  15. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Rasool Nasseri *Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2140-1359
Negin Bouzari *Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
Junting HuangDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
Hossein GolzarDepartment of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
Sarah JankhaniDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
Xiaowu Shirley TangDepartment of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9734-4365
Tizazu H MekonnenDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
Amirreza AghakhaniInstitute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems (IBBS), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4301-4053
Hamed ShahsavanDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada. hshahsav@uwaterloo.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1498-5114

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Stimuli-responsive hydrogels have garnered significant attention as a versatile class of soft actuators. Introducing anisotropic properties, and shape-change programmability to responsive hydrogels promises a host of opportunities in the development of soft robots. Herein we report the synthesis of pH-responsive hydrogel nanocomposites with predetermined microstructural anisotropy, shape-transformation, and self-healing. Our hydrogel nanocomposites are largely composed of zwitterionic monomers and asymmetric cellulose nanocrystals. While the zwitterionic nature of the network imparts both self-healing and cytocompatibility to our hydrogel nanocomposites, the shear-induced alignment of cellulose nanocrystals renders their anisotropic swelling and mechanical properties. Thanks to the self-healing properties, we utilized a cut-and-paste approach to program reversible, and complex deformation into our hydrogels. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrated the transport of light cargo using tethered and untethered soft robots made from our hydrogels. We believe the proposed material system introduce a powerful toolbox for the development of future generations of biomedical soft robots.

Identifiers

PMID37777525
PMCPMC10542366

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.