Three-Dimensional Printable, Extremely Soft, Stretchable, and Reversible Elastomers from Molecular Architecture-Directed Assembly
Three-Dimensional Printable, Extremely Soft, Stretchable, and Reversible Elastomers from Molecular Architecture-Directed Assembly
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DOI：
10.1021/acs.chemmater.0c04659
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发表时间：
2021-03-31
影响因子：
8.6
通讯作者：
Cai, Li-Heng
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Nian, Shifeng;Zhu, Jinchang;Cai, Li-Heng
3D打印弹性体可以制造许多技术上重要的结构和设备，如组织支架、传感器、致动器和软机器人。然而，传统的3D可打印弹性体本质上是刚性的;此外，打印过程通常需要外部机械支撑和/或后处理。在这里，我们利用响应性线性-瓶刷-线性三嵌段共聚物的自组装来制造刺激可逆、极其柔软且可拉伸的弹性体，并证明它们作为原位直写打印3D结构墨水的适用性，而无需外部机械支持或后处理。通过开发一种用于控制合成这种结构设计的嵌段共聚物的程序，我们创造了具有高达600%的延伸率和低于10（2）Pa的杨氏模量的弹性体，比塑料软10（6）倍，比所有现有的3D可打印弹性体软10（2）倍以上。此外，该弹性体具有热稳定性，在高达180摄氏度的温度下仍保持固体状态，但它们可100%溶剂再加工。它们具有极高的柔软性、拉伸性、热稳定性和溶剂可再加工性，预示着未来的应用前景。
3D printing elastomers enables the fabrication of many technologically important structures and devices such as tissue scaffolds, sensors, actuators, and soft robots. However, conventional 3D printable elastomers are intrinsically stiff; moreover, the process of printing often requires external mechanical support and/or post-treatment. Here, we exploit the self-assembly of a responsive linear-bottlebrush-linear triblock copolymer to create stimuli-reversible, extremely soft, and stretchable elastomers and demonstrate their applicability as inks for in situ direct- write printing 3D structures without the aid of external mechanical support or post-treatment. By developing a procedure for controlled synthesis of such architecturally designed block copolymers, we create elastomers with extensibility up to 600% and Young's moduli down to similar to 10(2) Pa, 10(6) times softer than plastics and more than 10(2) times softer than all existing 3D printable elastomers. Moreover, the elastomers are thermostable and remain to be solid up to 180 degrees C, yet they are 100% solvent-reprocessable. Their extreme softness, stretchability, thermostability, and solvent-reprocessability bode well for future applications.