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Title: Directed Printing and Reconfiguration of Thermoresponsive Silica–pNIPAM Nanocomposites

Journal Article · · Macromolecular Rapid Communications

Printing of polymeric composites into desired patterns and shapes has revolutionized small-scale manufacturing processes. However, high-resolution printing of adaptive materials that change shape in response to external stimuli remains a significant technical challenge. The article presents a new approach of printing thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) into macroscopic structures that dynamically reconfigure in response to heatingand cooling cycles. The printing process is performed using an external laser source, which enables thermal cross-linking of the polymer ink consisting of monomer, cross-linker, initiator, and inorganic nanoparticles. It is shown that the addition of silica nanoparticles enhances the mechanical properties of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) while maintaining its thermoresponsiveness at micrometer-scale resolution, which otherwise is not feasible by extrusion-based three-dimensional printing techniques. It is demonstrated that spatial reconfiguration of the printed monolayers upon increasing temperature is governed by the local geometry, which enables mimicking the reconfiguration of plant leaves in a natural environment. Furthermore, the study lays a foundation for developing a new fabrication platform to print thermoresponsive structures that may find applications in biomedical implants, sensors, and other multi-responsive materials.

Research Organization:
Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012432
OSTI ID:
1670772
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1524258
Journal Information:
Macromolecular Rapid Communications, Vol. 40, Issue 13; ISSN 1022-1336
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 11 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Figures / Tables (6)