Free-Form Liquid Crystal Elastomers via Embedded 4D Printing
Luke McDougall, Jeremy Herman, Emily Huntley, Samuel Leguizamon, Adam Cook, Timothy White, Bryan Kaehr, Devin J Roach · 2023
Read Free-Form Liquid Crystal Elastomers via Embedded 4D Printing by Luke McDougall, Jeremy Herman, Emily Huntley, Samuel Leguizamon, Adam Cook, Timothy White, Bryan Kaehr, Devin J Roach (2023) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-10739595.txt.
Description
Luke McDougall and seven co-authors report a printing method for free-form smart rubber shapes in this 2023 paper. The rubber, a liquid crystal elastomer, bends quickly and reversibly when stimulated. Printing it in three dimensions promises structures that change shape over time, a scheme called 4D printing.
Until now, printed versions were stuck as flat objects, limiting shape and motion. The team extrudes a water-shunning ink into a supportive gel bath instead. The gel holds each strand until the form sets, letting true free-standing shapes emerge. The printed pieces kept their actuation strength. The authors see paths to shape-shifting materials, soft robots, and medical devices. They frame the gel bath as the key that unlocks complex forms.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Luke McDougall, Jeremy Herman, Emily Huntley, Samuel Leguizamon, Adam Cook, Timothy White, Bryan Kaehr, Devin J Roach |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2023 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 26 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |