The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Magneto-responsive soft actuators offer a promising route to reconfigurable microstructures with dynamic motion under external magnetic fields. However, conventional viscoelastic soft materials suffer from slow mechanical relaxation, which limits deformation amplitude under rapidly varying magnetic stimuli. In this presentation, we demonstrate collective and rapid magnetic oscillations of micropillar arrays under a rotational magnetic field. The micropillars, composed of a soft elastomer embedded with magnetic particles, faithfully follow the applied rotation frequency without delay and maintain large deformation amplitudes even at high speeds. By programming the magnetization profile, magnetic field gradient, and anisotropic geometry, the micropillars exhibit diverse actuation modes, including bending, twisting, and torsion. Finally, collective oscillations translate microscale actuation into macroscale functions, enabling programmable fluid flow and walking soft robot locomotion.