biostudies-literaturePark CJNational Research Foundation of Koreae2211416120https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9926264biostudies-literatureUnknown120(2)Soft systems that respond to external stimuli, such as heat, magnetic field, and light, find applications in a range of fields including soft robotics, energy harvesting, and biomedicine. However, most of the existing systems exhibit nondirectional, nastic movement as they can neither grow nor sense the direction of stimuli. In this regard, artificial systems are outperformed by organisms capable of directional growth in response to the sense of stimuli or tropic growth. Inspired by tropic growth schemes of plant cells and fungal hyphae, here we report an artificial multistimuli-responsive tropic tip-growing system based on nonsolvent-induced phase separation of polymer solution, where polymer precipitates as its solvent dissolves into surrounding nonsolvent. We provide a theoretical frameProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaPlant cell-like tip-growing polymer precipitate with structurally embedded multistimuli sensing ability.PMC99262642018M3A7B40896702021M3F7A10174762018052541Ha JLee HRPark KSun JYKim HYPark CJfalsePlant cell-like tip-growing polymer precipitate with structurally embedded multistimuli sensing ability.Soft systems that respond to external stimuli, such as heat, magnetic field, and light, find applications in a range of fields including soft robotics, energy harvesting, and biomedicine. However, most of the existing systems exhibit nondirectional, nastic movement as they can neither grow nor sense the direction of stimuli. In this regard, artificial systems are outperformed by organisms capable of directional growth in response to the sense of stimuli or tropic growth. Inspired by tropic growth schemes of plant cells and fungal hyphae, here we report an artificial multistimuli-responsive tropic tip-growing system based on nonsolvent-induced phase separation of polymer solution, where polymer precipitates as its solvent dissolves into surrounding nonsolvent. We provide a theoretical frame2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Jan2025-04-21T22:08:47.369Z2025-04-21T22:08:47.369ZS-EPMC99262643659566510.1073/pnas.2211416120