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Stimuli-Triggered Multishape,Multimode, and Multistep Deformations Designed by Microfluidic 3D Droplet Printing |
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| Authors: | Chenjing Yang Yao Xiao Lingjie Hu Jingyi Chen Chun-Xia Zhao Peng Zhao Jian Ruan Ziliang Wu Haifeng Yu David A Weitz Dong Chen |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310003 P. R. China Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310027 P. R. China College of Energy Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310003 P. R. China;2. Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310027 P. R. China;3. Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310027 P. R. China John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138 USA;4. School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005 Australia;5. Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310003 P. R. China;6. Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310003 P. R. China;7. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 P. R. China;8. John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138 USA |
| Abstract: | Elastomers generally possess low Young's modulus and high failure strain, which are widely used in soft robots and intelligent actuators. However, elastomers generally lack diverse functionalities, such as stimulated shape morphing, and a general strategy to implement these functionalities into elastomers is still challenging. Here, a microfluidic 3D droplet printing platform is developed to design composite elastomers architected with arrays of functional droplets. Functional droplets with controlled size, composition, position, and pattern are designed and implemented in the composite elastomers, imparting functional performances to the systems. The composited elastomers are sensitive to stimuli, such as solvent, temperature, and light, and are able to demonstrate multishape (bow- and S-shaped), multimode (gradual and sudden), and multistep (one- and two-step) deformations. Based on the unique properties of droplet-embedded composite elastomers, a variety of stimuli-responsive systems are developed, including designable numbers, biomimetic flowers, and soft robots, and a series of functional performances are achieved, presenting a facile platform to impart diverse functionalities into composite elastomers by microfluidic 3D droplet printing. |
| Keywords: | 3D printing composite elastomers functional droplets microfluidics |