Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Delamination and out-of-plane deformation in drying colloidal suspensions.

Soft matter·2026
Same author

Synthetic fascia for stiff and tough 4D printed multifunctional structures that detect and tolerate damage.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

The Impact of Early Palliative Care Consultation on Length of Stay for Critically Ill Adults in the Intensive Care Unit.

The American journal of hospice & palliative care·2025
Same author

Self-Catalyzed Chemically Coalescing Liquid Metal Emulsions.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2025
Same author

Neural network-enabled, all-electronic control of non-Newtonian fluid flow.

Applied physics letters·2024
Same author

Multiscale Heterogeneous Polymer Composites for High Stiffness 4D Printed Electrically Controllable Multifunctional Structures.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Melt Electrospinning Writing of Three-dimensional Poly(ε-caprolactone) Scaffolds with Controllable Morphologies for Tissue Engineering Applications
12:28

Melt Electrospinning Writing of Three-dimensional Poly(ε-caprolactone) Scaffolds with Controllable Morphologies for Tissue Engineering Applications

Published on: December 23, 2017

15.2K

Multiscale Heterogeneous Polymer Composites for High Stiffness 4D Printed Electrically Controllable Multifunctional

Javier M Morales Ferrer1, Ramón E Sánchez Cruz1, Sophie Caplan1

  • 1Mechanical Engineering Department, Boston University, 110 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|December 8, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces stiff, thermally responsive 4D printing inks made from multiscale heterogeneous polymer composites. These advanced materials enable 4D printed robots to lift significantly more weight and achieve higher actuation stress than current soft materials.

Keywords:
4D printingactuatorsautonomous structuresmetamaterialsmorphing structuresrobotic lattices

More Related Videos

A Facile and Eco-friendly Route to Fabricate PolyLactic Acid Scaffolds with Graded Pore Size
13:46

A Facile and Eco-friendly Route to Fabricate PolyLactic Acid Scaffolds with Graded Pore Size

Published on: October 17, 2016

8.7K
3D Printed Porous Cellulose Nanocomposite Hydrogel Scaffolds
06:36

3D Printed Porous Cellulose Nanocomposite Hydrogel Scaffolds

Published on: April 24, 2019

9.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Melt Electrospinning Writing of Three-dimensional Poly(ε-caprolactone) Scaffolds with Controllable Morphologies for Tissue Engineering Applications
12:28

Melt Electrospinning Writing of Three-dimensional Poly(ε-caprolactone) Scaffolds with Controllable Morphologies for Tissue Engineering Applications

Published on: December 23, 2017

15.2K
A Facile and Eco-friendly Route to Fabricate PolyLactic Acid Scaffolds with Graded Pore Size
13:46

A Facile and Eco-friendly Route to Fabricate PolyLactic Acid Scaffolds with Graded Pore Size

Published on: October 17, 2016

8.7K
3D Printed Porous Cellulose Nanocomposite Hydrogel Scaffolds
06:36

3D Printed Porous Cellulose Nanocomposite Hydrogel Scaffolds

Published on: April 24, 2019

9.6K

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Robotics
  • Additive Manufacturing

Background:

  • 4D printing uses stimuli-responsive materials for morphing structures, with time as the fourth dimension.
  • Current 4D printing materials are typically soft (E: 10⁻⁴–10 MPa), limiting scalability, actuation stress, and load-bearing capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Introduce novel multiscale heterogeneous polymer composites for stiff, thermally responsive 4D printing.
  • Overcome limitations of soft materials in 4D printing applications.
  • Develop 4D printed materials with tunable electrical conductivity for actuation and self-sensing.

Main Methods:

  • Developed multiscale heterogeneous polymer composites as 4D printing inks.
  • Engineered electrically controllable bilayers as building blocks for morphing structures.
  • Designed and printed a self-standing lifting robot and a multigait crawling robotic lattice structure.

Main Results:

  • Achieved an elastic modulus (E) four orders of magnitude greater than existing 4D printed materials.
  • Demonstrated simultaneous Joule heating actuation and self-sensing capabilities.
  • Printed a robot that set new records for weight-normalized load lifted and actuation stress.
  • Created a crawling robot capable of carrying 144 times its own weight.

Conclusions:

  • Multiscale heterogeneous polymer composites represent a significant advancement in 4D printing materials.
  • These stiff, responsive inks enable the creation of high-performance 4D printed robots and complex structures.
  • The developed materials offer enhanced load-bearing, actuation, and self-sensing capabilities for future applications.