MATERIALS & DESIGN
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2025
·
IF 7.9
Zhengda Chen,Xiangjun Zha,Cheng Wen,Kun Li,Jigang Huang,Wei Pu
Multi-material objects offer enhanced functionality by strategic integration of different materials, allowing tailored properties to meet specific performance requirements. Digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing, featuring high resolution and fast speed, has emerged as a leading method for creating single-material structures. However, it faces significant limitations when producing multi-material objects in the traditional layer-by-layer matter, as the approach requires frequent material switching, making the process prohibitively time-consuming. To address this challenge, we present a capillarity assisted multi-material 3D printing (CMM-3DP) method that leverages capillary pressure to generate multi-material objects block by block. This innovative approach achieves printing speeds with over a hundred times faster than the current multi-material DLP 3D printing. CMM-3DP demonstrates remarkable versatility, accommodating not only photosensitive materials such as hydrogels, polymers, and elastomers but also thermal curable resins and liquid metals—materials previously incompatible with conventional DLP 3D printing. By eliminating the layer-by-layer material switching process, CMM-3DP allows multi-material objects to be fabricated while avoiding both intricate motion system and resin contamination issue. Using a body centered cubic (BCC) array as the capillary structure, our research demonstrates that CMM-3DP can successfully create multi-material architectures ranging from micrometer to centimeter scale. Moreover, the versatility of CMM-3DP is validated by successful fabrication of various applications, including stimuli-responsive objects, flexible actuator, electric circuit, and biomimetic human hand. Our method substantially enhances the multi-material fabrication capability of DLP 3D printing, facilitating potential applications with multi-material devices.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
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材料科学
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先进制造技术
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微纳加工
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仿生结构
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
·
2024
·
IF 18.5
Pan Wu,Tianyu Yu,Mingjun Chen,Nan Kang,Mohamed El Mansori
Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are smart materials that enable to transform back to their original shape from the deformed state when subjected to external stimuli. They have shown great potential used as sensors and actuators in diverse applications. However, current research on SMPs primarily focuses on the utilization of a single source of stimuli (e.g., electricity, magnetism, light, etc.), which heavily restricts their potential in complex circumstances. In this study, a novel approach is developed to fabricate multi-layer electrically/magnetically dual-driven shape memory composites (ML-EMSMCs) based on a magnetic field-assisted digital light processing (MF-DLP) 4D printing technique. The fabricated ML-EMSMCs contain alternating high electric conductive layers (up to 5.37 × 10 −3 S cm −1 ) and magnetic responsive layers (10.7 emu g −1 ), enabling Joule heat-based and high-frequency magnetic field induction-based stimuli. Furthermore, the ML-EMSMCs exhibited excellent shape memory behavior, good formability, and magnetic properties. The developed 4D printing techniques allows for the alignment of magnetic particles with a unidirectional magnetic field, significantly improving their shape recovery speed. The developed electrically/magnetically dual-driven and photocurable SMP composites shed light on the development of actuators and sensors with multiple functionalities.
研究领域:
材料科学
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智能材料
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3D打印技术
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
·
2025
·
IF 7.5
Yuhao Guo,Xiangjun Zha,Xinyu Huang,Zhicheng Cheng,Tingxian Ling,Jigang Huang
Top-down digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing is a promising approach for high-resolution and multi-material fabrication. However, the unconstrained resin surface often leads to curing outside the focal plane during the printing process, resulting in significant losses in manufacturing accuracy. To address this defocusing issue, we propose an improved top-down DLP 3D printing method that enables real-time calibration of the resin level, ensuring each layer is printed precisely on the focal plane. This approach reduces the deviation between the curing plane and the focal plane from hundreds of microns to just a few microns, significantly enhancing printing resolution and surface finish. Additionally, the method allows for the fabrication of multi-material objects with gradual interfaces in a single vat, improving bonding strength between different materials. Moreover, by controlling the resin level, the proposed technique facilitates material switching between multiple vats while maintaining a constant curing plane, enabling the creation of high-fidelity multi-material structures. This innovative strategy advances the field of DLP 3D printing by offering a rapid, precise, and versatile solution for high-resolution and multi-material fabrication.
研究领域:
制造工程
·
材料科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Nature Communications
·
2024
·Vol. 15
·期 1
·1-11
·
IF 14.7
Wang Rong,Yuan Chao,Cheng Jianxiang,He Xiangnan,Ye Haitao,Jian Bingcong,Li Honggeng,Bai Jiaming,Ge Qi
4D printing technology combines 3D printing and stimulus-responsive materials, enabling construction of complex 3D objects efficiently. However, unlike smart soft materials, 4D printing of ceramics is a great challenge due to the extremely weak deformability of ceramics. Here, we report a feasible and efficient manufacturing and design approach to realize direct 4D printing of ceramics. Photocurable ceramic elastomer slurry and hydrogel precursor are developed for the fabrication of hydrogel-ceramic laminates via multimaterial digital light processing 3D printing. Flat patterned laminates evolve into complex 3D structures driven by hydrogel dehydration, and then turn into pure ceramics after sintering. Considering the dehydration-induced deformation and sintering-induced shape retraction, we develop a theoretical model to calculate the curvatures of bent laminate and sintered ceramic part. Then, we build a design flow for direct 4D printing of various complex ceramic objects. This approach opens a new avenue for the development of ceramic 4D printing technology.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
制造工程
·
机械工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Research
·
2025
·
IF 10.7
Chao-fan He,Tian-hong Qiao,Xu-chao Ren,Mingjun Xie,Qing Gao,Chao-qi Xie,Peng Wang,Yuan Sun,Huayong Yang,Yong He
Accurately reconstructing the intricate structure of natural organisms is the long-standing goal of 3-dimensional (3D) bioprinting. Projection-based 3D printing boasts the highest resolution-to-manufacturing time ratio among all 3D-printing technologies, rendering it a highly promising technique in this field. However, achieving standardized, high-fidelity, and high-resolution printing of composite structures using bioinks with diverse mechanical properties remains a marked challenge. The root of this challenge lies in the long-standing neglect of multi-material printability research. Multi-material printing is far from a simple physical assembly of different materials; rather, effective control of material interfaces is a crucial factor that governs print quality. The current research gap in this area substantively hinders the widespread application and rapid development of multi-material projection-based 3D bioprinting. To bridge this critical gap, we developed a multi-material projection-based 3D bioprinter capable of simultaneous printing with 6 materials. Building upon this, we established a fundamental framework for multi-material printability research, encompassing its core logic and essential process specifications. Furthermore, we clarified several critical issues, including the cross-linking behavior of multicomponent bioinks, mechanical mismatch and interface strength in soft–hard composite structures, the penetration behavior of viscous bioinks within hydrogel polymer networks, liquid entrapment and adsorption phenomena in porous heterogeneous structures, and error source analysis along with resolution evaluation in multi-material printing. This study offers a solid theoretical foundation and guidance for the quantitative assessment of multi-material projection-based 3D bioprinting, holding promise to advance the field toward higher precision and the reconstruction of more intricate biological structures.
研究领域:
生物制造
·
组织工程
·
材料科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
MACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE
·
2024
·
IF 4.4
Di Wang,Zhaoxuan Feng,Jinshi Zeng,Qian Wang,Yudong Zheng,Xia Liu,Haiyue Jiang
Three-dimensional (3D) bio-printing of elastic cartilage tissues that are mechanically and structurally comparable to their native counterparts, while exhibiting favorable cellular behavior, is an unmet challenge. A practical solution for this problem is the multi-material bio-printing of thermoplastic polymers and cell-laden hydrogels using multiple nozzles. However, the processing of thermoplastic polymers requires high temperatures, which can damage hydrogel-encapsulated cells. In this study, we developed waterborne polyurethane (WPU) – polycaprolactone (PCL) composites to allow multi-material co-printing with cell-laden gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels. These composites could be extruded at low temperatures (50−60°C) and high speeds, thereby reducing heat/shear damage to the printed hydrogel-capsulated cells. Furthermore, their hydrophilic nature improved the cell behavior in vitro. More importantly, the bio-printed structures exhibited good stiffness and viscoelasticity compared to native elastic cartilage. In summary, our study demonstrated low-temperature multi-material bio-printing of WPU-PCL-based constructs with good mechanical properties, degradation time-frames, and cell viability, showcasing their potential in elastic cartilage bio-fabrication and regeneration to serve broad biomedical applications in the future. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
研究领域:
生物医学工程
·
组织工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING
·
2024
·
IF 12.7
Haoran Pei,Yinghong Chen,Qinniu Lv,Zilin Peng,Xin Wang,Ning Chen,Huarong Zhang
While the advances in thermoplastic additive manufacturing (3D printing) cover the free-form fabrication of piezoelectric materials , the chief obstacles to the use of 3D printed piezoelectric generator (PEG) are the weak weld within the part and imperfect polarization. Herein, a microwave assisted multi-material 3D printing strategy is proposed to fabricate multiple PEGs consisting of periodically intercalated piezoelectric & conductive layers. The interfacial regulation performed between piezoelectric ceramics and matrix leads to sufficient polarization under the electric field, thus generating the substantially enhanced piezoelectricity. Benefiting from the unique design of embedded electrode with 3D graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) network, the polarization charge density greatly increases. Then the microwave irradiation technology is employed to realize the intense selective heating of the GNPs to weld polymer interfaces, further improving the piezoelectric output. As a result, the output current of the 3D lamellar PEG is nearly 18 times higher than that of conventional sandwich structure PEG. With significant advantages of the enhanced electromechanical coupling performance, the fabrication strategy is expected to create multifunctional sensors with complex geometries. Based on the above method, the 3D printed biomimetic lamellar denture is developed for health monitoring and Morse code transmission, demonstrating its enormous potential in real-life applications.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
智能传感
·
增材制造
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Journal of Manufacturing Processes
·
2024
·
IF 6.1
Chaoyu Liang,Jin Huang,Yunna Pu,Hongxiao Gong,Dongqiao Bai,Jianjun Wang,Pengbing Zhao
Although one of the simplest methods, various must be resolved before industrializing material jetting technology to fabricate low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC). This research examines related glass-ceramic ink configurations and multi-material jet-sintering. Firstly, we present a method for obtaining a nanoscale borosilicate glass powder via radio frequency plasma spheronization, and its surface is grafted with acrylate molecules to create a jettable nanosol . By fusing this configured glass nanosol with silica nanosol in the typical glass-ceramic LTCC combination (4:6) and adding suitable photosensitizing elements, it can be configured into light-curable LTCC inks. 3D printing of multilayer structures using a multi-material jetting device provides a three-layer structure of ceramic layer - conductive layer - ceramic layer, with the ceramic layer cured by ultraviolet light and the conductor pattern scanned and surface-dried by a laser to obtain high-precision delivery of the green part. The sintering effect between different materials is intact and synchronized shrinkage is achieved. Conductivity tests during the sintering stage yielded high conductivity values up to 1.43 × 10 7 S/m, which further provides the microscopic morphology of the two embedded wires, and the complete and continuous results demonstrate the effectiveness of multilayer wire fabrication. The nanopowder , sol-gel configuration and material jetting under multiple energy loading proposed in this paper significantly support the LTCC additive manufacturing route.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
先进制造
·
电子工程
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
International Journal of Smart and Nano Materials
·
2024
·
IF 4.5
Xinghong Deng,Guangyu Zhang,Yi Mo,Zhiyuan Huang,Dekai Zhou,Jing Qiao,Longqiu Li
Multi-material additive manufacturing (MMAM) takes full advantage of the ability to arbitrarily place materials of additive manufacturing technology, enabling immense design freedom and functional print capabilities. Among MMAM technologies, projection stereolithography (PSL) exhibits a great balance of high resolution and fast printing speed. However, fabrication accuracy of multi-material PSL is hindered by large overcure used to strengthen interfacial bonding weakened by chemical affinity and material-exchange process. We present a novel multi-step exposure method for multi-material PSL process to overcome this shortcoming. Firstly, the whole layer is moderately exposed producing overcure of single-material PSL level to generate geometries. Then weakened interfaces are strengthened individually with additional steps of exposure. The multi-step exposure is integrated into the already efficient materials printing order of multi-material PSL process. Curing depth and overcure of photocurable resins are modeled and characterized. Exposure required to achieve sufficient interfacial bonding of single-material interfaces built through material-exchange process and multi-material interfaces with altering materials printing order is determined with tensile tests. Microfluidic channels are used to compare fabrication accuracy of traditional single-step exposure and our multi-step exposure method. This method can be widely applied in multi-material PSL to improve fabrication accuracy in a variety of applications including microfluidic devices.
研究领域:
先进制造
·
材料科学
·
光学工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Nature Communications
·
2024
·Vol. 15
·期 1
·1-15
·
IF 14.7
He Pei,Yue Junyu,Qiu Zhennan,Meng Zijie,He Jiankang,Li Dichen
Electric eel is an excellent example to harness ion-concentration gradients for sustainable power generation. However, current strategies to create electric-eel-inspired power sources commonly involve manual stacking of multiple salinity-gradient power source units, resulting in low efficiency, unstable contact, and poor flexibility. Here we propose a consecutive multimaterial printing strategy to efficiently fabricate biomimetic ionic hydrogel power sources with a maximum stretchability of 137%. The consecutively-printed ionic hydrogel power source filaments showed seamless bonding interface and can maintain stable voltage outputs for 1000 stretching cycles at 100% strain. With arrayed multi-channel printhead, power sources with a maximum voltage of 208 V can be automatically printed and assembled in parallel within 30 min. The as-printed flexible power source filaments can be woven into a wristband to power a digital wristwatch. The presented strategy provides a tool to efficiently produce electric-eel-inspired ionic hydrogel power sources with great stretchability for various flexible power source applications.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
生物医学工程
·
能源技术
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
iScience
·
2022
·
IF 6.107
Yuqi Zou,Chao Liu,Zhihe Ren,Yuqi Zhang,Zichang Liu,Yinsheng Xu,Chong Hou,Lvyun Yang,Sheng Liang,Guangming Tao
A small-scale delivery medium for CO 2 laser energy with stable performance, flexibility, and high-strength is crucial in extreme laser processing environments, especially for minimally invasive surgery in high-humidity, twisty and narrow channels. Here, flexible and robust multimaterial infrared fibers made of selenium-based chalcogenide glasses and thermoplastic polymer were developed with a low loss of 7.18 dB/m at 10.6 μm. The resulting fibers were capable of stably delivering single-mode CO 2 laser with 0.42 W average power. Moreover, to achieve precise control over the fibers in the practical clinical environment, customized co-polymers of polyphenylene sulfone resin and polyvinylidene fluoride were used as the fiber built-in jackets. Consequently, the fibers exhibited hydrophobicity, thermostability, high tensile strength, and low bending stiffness. The results demonstrated that the fibers can be used to deliver CO 2 laser energy for fabric cutting and bio-tissues ablation, making them attractive for CO 2 laser material processing and minimally invasive laser surgery.
研究领域:
光学材料
·
激光医学
·
生物医学工程
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
·
2025
·
IF 13.2
Hao Pu,Xiangjun Zha,Zhicheng Cheng,Tingxian Ling,Kunlan Huang,Jigang Huang
Hydrogel fibers, characterized by the high-water content and remarkable flexibility, demonstrate significant potential for biomedical and flexible electronic applications, yet the inherent challenge of simultaneously enhancing both mechanical strength and toughness remains a critical issue. To address the issue, this study introduces a novel multi-material fiber featuring a double-helix core architecture, designed to achieve synergistic enhancement of mechanical strength and fracture toughness. By developing a pneumatic rotary extrusion system, we achieved precise control over fiber morphology by optimizing rotational speed (ω = 5 r/min), extrusion pressure ratio ( P ratio = 1.4), and gelatin concentration (8 g, 28.5 wt%). The resultant fibers exhibited an exceptional fracture energy of 70.22 ± 3.85 kJ/m 2 (6.8 times higher than pure hydrogel) and a toughness of 10.37 ± 0.69 MJ/m 3 , along with a tissue-matched (cartilage and ligaments) elastic modulus (16.6 MPa). NaCl/glycerol infiltration endows the fiber with ionic conductivity (strain sensitivity GF = 0.12, response time = 608 ms), enabling real-time monitoring of human joint kinematics through strain-responsive electrical signal transduction. Furthermore, doping Fe₃O₄ into PDMS allows the fiber to be programmable magnetically navigated with the superparamagnetic responsiveness of 15.59 emu/g. This work establishes a scalable strategy for designing high-performance multi-material hydrogel fibers, bridging the gap between mechanical robustness, smart responsiveness, and biomedical applicability, with transformative potential in surgical robotics and wearable electronics.
研究领域:
生物材料学
·
组织工程
·
柔性电子
·
生物力学
·
智能材料
·
转化医学
·
微创手术技术
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）