Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41340283›Full record

ArticleAdvanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)2026

Electrically Tunable Friction: From Sticky to Slippery with Ionic Hydrogels.

Chenxu Liu, Yuan Yao, Yuanyuan Wang, Qi Zhou, Ziqian Zhao, Chenyu Qiao, Yongxiang Sun, Yonggang Meng, Yu Tian, Hongbo Zeng

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

10 authors.

Chenxu LiuDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9057-3755
Yuan YaoDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada.
Yuanyuan WangDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada.
Qi ZhouDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada.
Ziqian ZhaoDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada.
Chenyu QiaoDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada.
Yongxiang SunDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada.
Yonggang MengState Key Laboratory of Tribology in Advanced Equipment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
Yu TianState Key Laboratory of Tribology in Advanced Equipment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
Hongbo ZengDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1432-5979

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Real-time regulation of friction from conventional dry states to ultra-low levels represents a critical strategy for improving energy efficiency and enabling the intelligent design of adaptive systems. Yet, current friction-control methods typically achieve only modest modulation and often rely on liquid lubricants at macroscopic scales, which impose stringent sealing requirements and limit practical applications. Here, an electric-field strategy is reported for friction modulation using a polyvinyl alcohol-based ionic hydrogel as an electroresponsive frictional material. During sliding against a metal ball, the friction coefficient (COF) can be reversibly modulated by more than fifty-fold under low voltage control (-30 V to +30 V), without the need for external lubricants. Remarkably, the COF decreases to 0.03 at -30 V (with the metal ball connected to the negative pole), while at 0 V or +30 V it increases to 1-2. Mechanistic analyses reveal that positive charging of the ionic hydrogel triggers electroosmotic extraction of a salt-rich interfacial layer, driving the dramatic reduction in friction. It further demonstrates the first crawling robot and precision robotic arm manipulation powered by electrotunable friction, establishing a new paradigm for adaptive and energy-efficient robotic and mechanical systems.

Indexed as

crawling robotselectric fieldfriction controlionic polymersultra‐low friction

Identifiers

PMID41340283
PMCPMC12879288

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

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.