Recently, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Singapore Institute of Technology and Design (SUTD) have developed a new type of 4D printing technology that allows printed objects to be printed within seconds, from a single The shape "automatically" transforms into another shape, in which only one temperature of the environment can be changed. The so-called "4D printing" introduces a new dimension than traditional 3D printing: time refers to the appearance of an object that changes with the desired path over time. In fact, 4D printing technology is not a new thing, as long as it has a "shape memory" function of the material will be deformed under specific external stimulus conditions, the so-called access to an external "trigger." However, this new technology is characterized by extremely rapid deformation, which takes only a few seconds, and the memory materials used can withstand tremendous deformation. The main team members to study this technology include Prof. Qi “Kevin†Ge of SUTD University, Prof. Nicholas X. Fang of MIT “Nano-Photovoltaic and 3D Nano Fabrication Laboratoryâ€, Rutgers University Prof. Howon Lee and other researchers from SUTD University and Georgia Institute of Technology. The related papers have been published in the online scientific journal Scientific Reports on August 8. The following is a sample of the 4D printing technology. The small Eiffel Tower is curved at room temperature, but it returns to its original shape within seconds after being heated slightly . 4D printing, rapid deformation, temperature triggers, these features make the technology will have a wide range of applications in the fields of solar energy, medicine and space. For example, make a soft driver that adjusts the angle of the solar panel to the sun's rays, or make a micro-medium capsule. Prof Fong Lai-lai said: “Ultimately, we want to use human body temperature as a trigger. If we properly design these polymers, we can create a drug delivery vehicle. And only when a person has a fever and body temperature rises, The medicine inside can be released." The team also designed a "small claw". They first opened the small claws and then raised the ambient air temperature to 40oC. Then the small claws quickly contracted and grabbed the objects below. More specifically, the small claws are also very "gentle" and can delicately catch fish eggs, even tofu and other objects. In fact, many researchers have tried to use 3d printers to create shape memory objects, but because the production process still stays at the millimeter level, it limits the speed of material recovery. In this technique of Prof. Fang, the high-resolution projection "Microstereolithography" technology is used to design objects at the micron level (1 mm = 1000 μm, equivalent to one hair The diameter of the wire) This technique makes the material recovery extremely fast. Prof Fong Lai-lai said: “The fact is that if you can produce at a more subtle level, then these materials will quickly recover in a matter of seconds. Take nature's flowers as an example, a flower can be within a few milliseconds All pollen is released because its triggering mechanism occurs on the micron scale." At the same time, researchers have been looking for the ideal polymer combination to make a shape memory material to adapt to their photolithographic patterns. They chose two polymers, one shaped like a crooked pasta and the other intertwined, like a scaffold on a construction site. They mix the two polymers together and the resulting new material can withstand tremendous stretching and twisting without damage. This new type of composite material is characterized by its ability to withstand large deformations and can be stretched to 3 times its original shape, which is much larger than any existing printable material. What's more, the new material can "bounce" back to its original shape, that is when it came out of the printer. When it is exposed to a temperature of 40-180oC, it can recover its shape in seconds. Prof Fong Lai-lai said: "If we can reduce the entire production process to a smaller magnitude, we may be able to reduce the recovery time to a few milliseconds." Via MIT News Extended reading: Breaking records, scientists have developed new types of memory alloys 3D printing is not yet popular, 4D printing wants to "contract" your health problems! DI monitoring module is designed for the data center busway power distribution plug-in box. It is used to monitoring the circuit breaker 3 channel as a group for critical power monitoring application. Di Monitoring Module,Di/Do Measuring Module,Digital Output Module,Dc Pv Monitoring Module Jiangsu Sfere Electric Co., Ltd , https://www.elecnova-global.com
