3D-printed liquid metal polymer composites as NIR-responsive 4D printing soft robot

Liwen Zhang; Xumin Huang; Tim Cole; Hongda Lu; Jiangyu Hang; Weihua Li; Shi-Yang Tang; Cyrille Boyer; Thomas P. Davis; Ruirui Qiao

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-43667-4

3D-printed liquid metal polymer composites as NIR-responsive 4D printing soft robot

Liwen Zhang, Xumin Huang, Tim Cole, Hongda Lu, Jiangyu Hang, Weihua Li, Shi-Yang Tang^*, Cyrille Boyer, Thomas P. Davis^*, Ruirui Qiao^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

4D printing combines 3D printing with nanomaterials to create shape-morphing materials that exhibit stimuli-responsive functionalities. In this study, reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization agents grafted onto liquid metal nanoparticles are successfully employed in ultraviolet light-mediated stereolithographic 3D printing and near-infrared light-responsive 4D printing. Spherical liquid metal nanoparticles are directly prepared in 3D-printed resins via a one-pot approach, providing a simple and efficient strategy for fabricating liquid metal-polymer composites. Unlike rigid nanoparticles, the soft and liquid nature of nanoparticles reduces glass transition temperature, tensile stress, and modulus of 3D-printed materials. This approach enables the photothermal-induced 4D printing of composites, as demonstrated by the programmed shape memory of 3D-printed composites rapidly recovering to their original shape in 60 s under light irradiation. This work provides a perspective on the use of liquid metal-polymer composites in 4D printing, showcasing their potential for application in the field of soft robots.

Original language	English
Article number	7815
Number of pages	12
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	14
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43667-4
Publication status	Published - 28 Nov 2023

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgments:
R.Q. would like to acknowledge the support from the National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1196850), Queensland-Chinese Academy of Sciences (Q-CAS) Collaborative Science Fund (QCAS2022016), UQ Amplify Women’s Academic Research Equity (UQAWARE), UQ Foundation of Excellence Research Award (UQFERA), and Advance Queensland Women’s Research Assistance Program (AQWRAP). T.P.D. is grateful for the National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1197373 and 2019056). This work used the Queensland node of the NCRIS-enabled Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), and the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis (CMM).

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Cite this

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title = "3D-printed liquid metal polymer composites as NIR-responsive 4D printing soft robot",

abstract = "4D printing combines 3D printing with nanomaterials to create shape-morphing materials that exhibit stimuli-responsive functionalities. In this study, reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization agents grafted onto liquid metal nanoparticles are successfully employed in ultraviolet light-mediated stereolithographic 3D printing and near-infrared light-responsive 4D printing. Spherical liquid metal nanoparticles are directly prepared in 3D-printed resins via a one-pot approach, providing a simple and efficient strategy for fabricating liquid metal-polymer composites. Unlike rigid nanoparticles, the soft and liquid nature of nanoparticles reduces glass transition temperature, tensile stress, and modulus of 3D-printed materials. This approach enables the photothermal-induced 4D printing of composites, as demonstrated by the programmed shape memory of 3D-printed composites rapidly recovering to their original shape in 60 s under light irradiation. This work provides a perspective on the use of liquid metal-polymer composites in 4D printing, showcasing their potential for application in the field of soft robots.",

author = "Liwen Zhang and Xumin Huang and Tim Cole and Hongda Lu and Jiangyu Hang and Weihua Li and Shi-Yang Tang and Cyrille Boyer and Davis, {Thomas P.} and Ruirui Qiao",

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AB - 4D printing combines 3D printing with nanomaterials to create shape-morphing materials that exhibit stimuli-responsive functionalities. In this study, reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization agents grafted onto liquid metal nanoparticles are successfully employed in ultraviolet light-mediated stereolithographic 3D printing and near-infrared light-responsive 4D printing. Spherical liquid metal nanoparticles are directly prepared in 3D-printed resins via a one-pot approach, providing a simple and efficient strategy for fabricating liquid metal-polymer composites. Unlike rigid nanoparticles, the soft and liquid nature of nanoparticles reduces glass transition temperature, tensile stress, and modulus of 3D-printed materials. This approach enables the photothermal-induced 4D printing of composites, as demonstrated by the programmed shape memory of 3D-printed composites rapidly recovering to their original shape in 60 s under light irradiation. This work provides a perspective on the use of liquid metal-polymer composites in 4D printing, showcasing their potential for application in the field of soft robots.

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3D-printed liquid metal polymer composites as NIR-responsive 4D printing soft robot

Abstract

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