We have developed ‘self-oscillating’ gels that undergo spontaneous cyclic swelling–deswelling changes without any on–off switching of external stimuli, as with heart muscle. The self-oscillating gels were designed by utilizing the Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, an oscillating reaction, as a chemical model of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. We have systematically studied these polymer gels since they were first reported in 1996. Our studies represent innovative research, creating new concepts of functional gels and expanding their potential, and they have attracted attention in many research fields and have inspired related studies. Here, our recent progress on self-oscillating polymer gels is summarized.

As novel functional materials, we developed self-oscillating polymeric materials composed of synthetic polymers coupled with an oscillating chemical reaction, the so-called Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction.