Fast fabrication of graphene oxide/reduced graphene oxide hybrid hydrogels for thermosensitive smart actuator utilizing laser irradiation

•A method utilized laser to obtain inhomogeneous polymer hydrogels was reported.•The irradiation step only costs a few seconds, and it is also non-toxic.•The hydrogels could enable the applications for thermo-stimuli-response actuators. Polymer hydrogels containing graphene or graphene-based derivatives have attracted much attention due to their mechanical and biological properties. This report aims to illustrate an effective method to obtain a kind of inhomogeneous polymer hydrogels via irradiating homogeneous hydrogels containing graphene oxide (GO) under UV laser beam. The as-prepared inhomogeneous hydrogels exhibit anisotropically deformation triggered by thermo-stimuli and could enable the potential applications for stimuli-response actuators.