Rutgers University—New Brunswick engineers have created a flexible, lightweight material that can be used in aircraft and drone wings, soft robots, miniature implantable biomedical devices, etc. Can better achieve shock absorption and deformation. Related results were published in the latest issue of Materials Horizons.
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, can turn pre-built digital blueprints into objects through layer-by-layer printing.
4D printing based on this technology has a big difference. It uses special materials and complex designs to print objects. These objects will change their shape under environmental conditions such as temperature changes.
The new "metamaterials" created by engineers have been carefully designed to have characteristics not found in nature. They are unusual or even counterintuitive. Previously, the properties and shapes of metamaterials were irreversible once they were manufactured, but this time the metamaterials that use heat to adjust their properties can remain rigid when they are hit, or soften like a sponge to absorb vibrations.
In the temperature range between room temperature 73 degrees Fahrenheit (about 22.8 ° C) and 194 degrees Fahrenheit (90 ° C), the rigidity adjustment can be more than 100 times, so that shock absorption is well controlled. The material can be reformed for various purposes. They temporarily deform, transform into any shape, and then return to their original shape as needed when heated.
This magical material can be used to improve the performance of aircraft or drone wings, and can also be used for the reconstruction of space panels for collapsed lightweight structures and even larger structures. A soft robot made from this material is as pliable as an octopus and can be adjusted for flexibility or stiffness depending on the environment and current task. Inserting a tiny device into the human body for diagnosis or treatment can make the interventional device temporarily soft and flexible, enter the human body for minimally invasive surgery and reduce pain.