Multimaterial cryogenic printing of three-dimensional soft hydrogel machines
Abstract Hydrogel-based soft machines are promising in diverse applications, such as biomedical electronics and soft robotics. However, current fabrication techniques generally struggle to construct multimaterial three-dimensional hydrogel architectures for soft machines and robots, owing to the inh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55323-6 |
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| author | Jinhao Li Jie Cao Rong Bian Rongtai Wan Xiangyang Zhu Baoyang Lu Guoying Gu |
| author_facet | Jinhao Li Jie Cao Rong Bian Rongtai Wan Xiangyang Zhu Baoyang Lu Guoying Gu |
| author_sort | Jinhao Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Hydrogel-based soft machines are promising in diverse applications, such as biomedical electronics and soft robotics. However, current fabrication techniques generally struggle to construct multimaterial three-dimensional hydrogel architectures for soft machines and robots, owing to the inherent hydrogel softness from the low-density polymer network nature. Herein, we present a multimaterial cryogenic printing (MCP) technique that can fabricate sophisticated soft hydrogel machines with accurate yet complex architectures and robust multimaterial interfaces. Our MCP technique harnesses a universal all-in-cryogenic solvent phase transition strategy, involving instant ink solidification followed by in-situ synchronous solvent melting and cross-linking. We, therefore, can facilely fabricate various multimaterial 3D hydrogel structures with high aspect ratio complex geometries (overhanging, thin-walled, and hollow) in high fidelity. Using this approach, we design and manufacture all-printed all-hydrogel soft machines with versatile functions, such as self-sensing biomimetic heart valves with leaflet-status perception and untethered multimode turbine robots capable of in-tube blockage removal and transportation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5b795a3cba4c4fa284da8c8016522644 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-5b795a3cba4c4fa284da8c80165226442025-01-05T12:37:24ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-011611910.1038/s41467-024-55323-6Multimaterial cryogenic printing of three-dimensional soft hydrogel machinesJinhao Li0Jie Cao1Rong Bian2Rongtai Wan3Xiangyang Zhu4Baoyang Lu5Guoying Gu6Robotics Institute and State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityJiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics, Flexible Electronics Innovation Institute, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal UniversityRobotics Institute and State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityJiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics, Flexible Electronics Innovation Institute, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal UniversityRobotics Institute and State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityJiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics, Flexible Electronics Innovation Institute, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal UniversityRobotics Institute and State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityAbstract Hydrogel-based soft machines are promising in diverse applications, such as biomedical electronics and soft robotics. However, current fabrication techniques generally struggle to construct multimaterial three-dimensional hydrogel architectures for soft machines and robots, owing to the inherent hydrogel softness from the low-density polymer network nature. Herein, we present a multimaterial cryogenic printing (MCP) technique that can fabricate sophisticated soft hydrogel machines with accurate yet complex architectures and robust multimaterial interfaces. Our MCP technique harnesses a universal all-in-cryogenic solvent phase transition strategy, involving instant ink solidification followed by in-situ synchronous solvent melting and cross-linking. We, therefore, can facilely fabricate various multimaterial 3D hydrogel structures with high aspect ratio complex geometries (overhanging, thin-walled, and hollow) in high fidelity. Using this approach, we design and manufacture all-printed all-hydrogel soft machines with versatile functions, such as self-sensing biomimetic heart valves with leaflet-status perception and untethered multimode turbine robots capable of in-tube blockage removal and transportation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55323-6 |
| spellingShingle | Jinhao Li Jie Cao Rong Bian Rongtai Wan Xiangyang Zhu Baoyang Lu Guoying Gu Multimaterial cryogenic printing of three-dimensional soft hydrogel machines Nature Communications |
| title | Multimaterial cryogenic printing of three-dimensional soft hydrogel machines |
| title_full | Multimaterial cryogenic printing of three-dimensional soft hydrogel machines |
| title_fullStr | Multimaterial cryogenic printing of three-dimensional soft hydrogel machines |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multimaterial cryogenic printing of three-dimensional soft hydrogel machines |
| title_short | Multimaterial cryogenic printing of three-dimensional soft hydrogel machines |
| title_sort | multimaterial cryogenic printing of three dimensional soft hydrogel machines |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55323-6 |
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