Issue 11, 2023

3D printing stretchable and compressible porous structures by polymerizable emulsions for soft robotics

Abstract

UV-curable 3D printing compositions for the fabrication of stretchable and flexible porous structures for soft robotics are presented. The stereolithography-based printing compositions are water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions in which water droplets are the pore-forming material, and the continuous phase is a stretchable polyurethane diacrylate (PUA). The porosity of the printed objects is controlled by the material's micro-porosity and by the macro-porosity obtained by a cellular design. The mechanical behavior can be tailored by the composition of the emulsion, providing both compliance and strength while utilizing a unique optimization methodology for fitting the ink to the 3D printer. This approach enables developing materials having superior mechanical properties, with the highest reported elongation-at-break for 3D printed porous structures, 450%. The emulsion-based printing compositions were utilized for fabricating a soft robotic gripper with unique actuation performance that could not be obtained with commonly used materials.

Graphical abstract: 3D printing stretchable and compressible porous structures by polymerizable emulsions for soft robotics

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
22 May 2023
Accepted
14 Aug 2023
First published
15 Aug 2023

Mater. Horiz., 2023,10, 4976-4985

Author version available

3D printing stretchable and compressible porous structures by polymerizable emulsions for soft robotics

O. Bliah, S. Joe, R. Reinberg, A. B. Nardin, L. Beccai and S. Magdassi, Mater. Horiz., 2023, 10, 4976 DOI: 10.1039/D3MH00773A

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