Reversible shape changing components by 3D printing

Abstract eng:
The availability of reversible components that can alter their shapes in response to environmental changes is crucial for active materials. The rapid development of 3D/4D printing technologies also enables the fast implementation of sophisticated designs for sensors and actuators. This paper demonstrates a new reversible component that is 3D printed to combine shape memory polymers and hydrogels. This new method uses the swelling of hydrogel as the driving force for the shape alternation and the change of the modulus of shape memory polymers as a function of temperature to regulate the time of such shape alternation. The component can be activated by changing temperature and aqueous environment, without any other further mechanical loading and unloading. The obtained structure is stiff in two different configurations. Several 2D and 3D shape changing actuators are demonstrated to illustrate the broad application potentials of the proposed design.

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