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Four-Dimensional Printing of Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogel-Based Soft Robots

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Variable Stiffness Conductive Composites by 4D Printing Dual Materials Alternately.

Fei Long^1,2,3, Gaojie Xu¹, Jing Wang⁴

¹Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Additive Manufacturing Materials, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, China.

|August 26, 2022

Summary

Researchers developed a new composite material with variable stiffness using liquid metals and silicone. This material can switch between soft and rigid states, enhancing robot-human interaction and enabling soft sensing actuators.

Keywords:

4D printing liquid metal phase change thermal response variable stiffness

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Robotics Engineering
Soft Matter Physics

Background:

Programmable materials that respond to stimuli are crucial for soft actuators in robotics, drug delivery, and aerospace.
Variable stiffness materials enhance robot compliance and human-robot interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate a novel variable stiffness composite material.
To enable control over material stiffness for advanced actuator applications.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of a composite using liquid metals (LMs) and silicone elastomers via 3D direct ink writing.
Encapsulation of phase-changing LMs within a silicone matrix.
Characterization of stiffness changes and electrical resistance variations.

Main Results:

Achieved over 1900% stiffness change between soft and rigid states.
Storage modulus varied from 4.75 MPa (rigid LM) to 0.2 MPa (soft LM).
Stretching strain increased threefold upon heating, with a decrease in load capacity.
Conductive composites showed resistance changes with deformation at high temperatures.

Conclusions:

The developed LM-silicone composite offers tunable stiffness for soft actuators.
The material's sensing capabilities through resistance change open avenues for soft sensing actuators.
This technology has potential applications in advanced robotics and human-machine interfaces.