Structurally Transformable and Reconfigurable Hydrogel-Based Mechanical Metamaterials and Their Application in...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Mechanical metamaterials possess unique properties like negative Poisson's ratio.
• Hydrogels are promising for functional mechanical metamaterials due to responsiveness.
• Current hydrogel metamaterials lack integrated soft and responsive characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create structurally transformable and reconfigurable hydrogel-based mechanical metamaterials.
• To integrate shape-memory mechanisms into hydrogel metamaterial design.
• To achieve switchable mechanical properties, including auxetic behavior.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing 3D printing to fabricate lattice structures from multishape-memory poly(acrylic acid)-chitosan hydrogels.
• Incorporating reversible shape-memory mechanisms to control lattice structure.
• Investigating mechanical responses under various environmental conditions.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated transformable and reconfigurable mechanical characteristics.
• Achieved switchable Poisson's ratios (negative, zero, positive) via structural lattice changes.
• Exhibited adaptable responses surpassing conventional stimuli-responsive materials.

Conclusions:

• Structurally transformable and reconfigurable hydrogel metamaterials were successfully developed.
• These metamaterials offer enhanced functionality through integrated shape-memory mechanisms.
• Applications in multimode biomedical stents highlight their adaptability and potential in smart biomaterials.