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Click chemistry stereolithography for soft robots that self-heal.
T J Wallin1, J H Pikul, S Bodkhe
1Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Journal of Materials Chemistry. B
|April 9, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed a low-cost stereolithography method for fabricating high-resolution silicone soft robots. This advancement enables rapid, versatile, and self-healing soft machines with tunable mechanical properties for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Soft robotics
- Additive manufacturing
- Materials science
Background:
- Soft robotics requires versatile machines with complex functions.
- Current fabrication methods for soft, 3D hierarchical structures are challenging.
- Existing stereolithography (SLA) materials are expensive and lack suitable elastic properties for soft robotics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a low-cost fabrication method for high-resolution silicone-based elastomeric devices using open-source SLA.
- To enable tunable mechanical properties and self-healing capabilities in soft robotic components.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a low-cost build window substrate with an open-source SLA printer.
- Employed thiol-ene click chemistry for photopolymerization with low energy and specific wavelengths.
- Tuned material properties by adjusting mercaptosiloxane (M.S.) and vinylsiloxane (V.S.) ratios.
Main Results:
- Achieved rapid fabrication of high-resolution (∼50 μm) silicone devices.
- Demonstrated tunable storage moduli (6–283 kPa) and ultimate strains (0.5–4).
- Fabricated compliant machines, including self-healing fluidic elastomer actuators.
Conclusions:
- The developed low-cost SLA approach facilitates the creation of advanced soft robotic systems.
- The tunable and self-healing properties of the fabricated devices offer significant advantages for soft robotics.
- This method overcomes limitations of current SLA technologies for soft robotics applications.
