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

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2023

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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, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|May 20, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed stiff, thermally responsive 4D printing materials from polymer composites. These advanced materials enable 4D printed robots to lift heavy loads and exhibit self-sensing capabilities.

Keywords:
4D printingactuatorsautonomous structuresmetamaterialsmorphing structuresrobotic lattices

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Robotics
  • Additive Manufacturing

Context:

  • 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 to 10 MPa), limiting scalability and load-bearing capacity.
  • Stiff, thermally responsive polymer composites are introduced to overcome these limitations.

Purpose:

  • To develop novel stiff, thermally responsive 4D printing materials.
  • To enable enhanced actuation stress, load-bearing capabilities, and self-sensing in 4D printed structures.
  • To demonstrate the potential of these materials in creating advanced robotic systems.

Summary:

  • Multiscale heterogeneous polymer composites with high elastic modulus (E) and tunable electrical conductivity were developed for 4D printing.
  • These materials enable simultaneous Joule heating actuation and self-sensing.
  • A flat geometry was printed and transformed into a 3D self-standing lifting robot, achieving record weight-normalized load lifted and actuation stress.
  • Planar lattice structures were printed and transformed into complex 3D shapes, including a multigait crawling robotic lattice capable of carrying 144 times its own weight.

Impact:

  • This work expands the material capabilities for 4D printing, moving beyond soft polymers to stiff composites.
  • The developed materials enable unprecedented load-bearing and actuation performance in 4D printed robots.
  • The integration of self-sensing capabilities opens new avenues for smart, responsive 4D printed devices and systems.