Responsive soft materials, with unique advantages of light weight, flexibility and large deformation upon activation, have attracted extensive attention in the fields of aerospace engineering, soft robots and human–computer interaction. Electrothermal activation, enabled by the integration of engineered electrical heaters, is emerging as a new dimension in the design of novel functionalities for devices based on responsive soft materials due to its on-demand heating. However, precise control of the activation behavior, performance synergy and multifunctional integration of these devices remain challenging as they involve multidisciplinary collaboration, requiring a comprehensive assessment from materials science, applied physics and advanced manufacturing. Here, we present an overview of various electrothermally activated soft materials in terms of activation mechanisms, unique performance and functionality under electrothermal activation, followed by a discussion of electrical heating design and fabrication techniques, and finally prospective applications of them. Challenges in electrical heater design, multi-physics modeling and integrated fabrication are critically identified. Perspectives for devices based on electrothermally activated soft materials are presented, including multidisciplinary research, conceptual breakthroughs and demand-driven innovations. This review could provide a roadmap for the next stage of research and contribute to accelerating the development of electrothermally activated soft materials towards real-world applications.

中文翻译：

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电热活化软材料：机理、方法和应用


响应式软材料具有重量轻、柔韧性好、活化变形大等独特优势，在航空航天工程、软体机器人和人机交互等领域引起了广泛关注。由于按需加热，通过集成工程电加热器实现的电热活化正在成为基于响应式软材料的设备设计新功能的新维度。然而，精确控制这些器件的激活行为、性能协同和多功能集成仍然具有挑战性，因为它们涉及多学科合作，需要材料科学、应用物理学和先进制造的全面评估。在这里，我们从活化机制、电热活化下的独特性能和功能方面概述了各种电热活化软材料，然后讨论了电加热设计和制造技术，最后是它们的预期应用。关键地确定了电加热器设计、多物理场建模和集成制造方面的挑战。提出了基于电热激活软材料的器件的前景，包括多学科研究、概念突破和需求驱动的创新。本综述可以为下一阶段的研究提供路线图，并有助于加速电热活化软材料向实际应用的发展。