University researchers have developed a cost-effective ink which contains a high cellulose content and responds to water, making it suitable for 4D printing.
The researchers from the University of Bristol and the University of Bath in the UK recently collaborated. They explain in a new paper: “Sustainable and cost-effective solutions are crucial for the widespread adoption of 4D printing technology.”
If you’re not sure what 4D printing is, you can find everything you need to know on All3DP. The term essentially describes an object which has been 3D printed with shape memory elements. As a result, it reacts to other stimuli such as heat or, in this case, water.
The researcher’s work was inspired by pine cones which close when in contact with water because of high levels of cellulose fibrils found in cell walls.
Encouraging the Widespread Adoption of 4D Printing
Following the pine cone’s lead, the researchers used cellulose in their ink as it is the “most abundant organic polymer on Earth” and highly absorbent.
To imitate the pine cone’s behavior in a synthetic ink, they combined basic hydrogel with cellulose pulp and clay particles.
As well as this, they included additives to enable ideal 3D printing extrusion characteristics. This resulted in increased absorption and nozzle flow.
To demonstrate the ability of the ink, the researchers 3D printed a complex structure with pre-determined “design rules”. These rules meant it would morph in response to water.
In conclusion, the authors wrote: “The demonstration of a sustainable and cost-effective ink which is able to be used with commercial 3D printers is expected to encourage the widespread adoption of 4D printing. This should accelerate our understanding of the fundamental design principles by making 4D printing more accessible and attractive to a greater number of researchers.”
Read the researcher’s paper which was recently published in Materials & Design journal, here.
Source: Science Direct
License: The text of "Researchers Develop Cost-Effective Cellulose-Based 4D Printing Ink" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.