PECASE: Solid Freeform Fabrication of Multi-Material Functional Devices using Colloidal Inks

该学院早期职业发展（CAREER）计划项目的研究目标是调查过程变量和材料特性，这些变量和材料特性将使复杂设备的组装能够通过利用直写制造过程进行。 由悬浮在水中的微观金属、陶瓷和聚合物颗粒组成的胶体油墨将被容纳在单独的容器中，并以设计的图案分配。 与喷墨打印机不同，这些油墨保持三维结构。 因此，功能装置，如电子封装和先进的组织工程支架可以在计算机上设计并打印为功能装置。 实现这些目标的方法包括油墨配方和流变特性，材料的相容性研究，在异质结构的成分分级，和功能器件的测试。 该项目的教育目标是将研究主题纳入高中至研究生阶段的课堂。 教育计划的一个重点是鼓励俄克拉荷马州的美国土著高中生从事科学、技术、工程和数学职业。 实现这一教育目标的方法将是在俄克拉荷马州州立大学建立在线访问研究和指导计划，以促进早期的科学社会化在一个有针对性的少数民族高中。打印包含金属，陶瓷和聚合物组合的异质结构的能力将为设备设计开辟新的途径。 成分分级将允许过去由于不相容的特性（例如热膨胀）而难以或不可能实现的材料组合。 研究打印聚合物基油墨可能会导致新的组织工程支架的发展。 这种支架可能为关节炎患者的关节置换开辟新的途径。 这些生物支架将提供前所未有的控制材料和细胞放置在一个工程组织结构。 教育计划的结果将是提高俄克拉荷马州州立大学本科生和研究生的科学接触。 高中辅导计划将提高少数民族美国原住民学生在科学和工程领域的参与程度，从而形成一个更加多样化和强大的科学社区。

The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program project is to investigate process variables and material properties that will enable the assembly of complex devices by utilizing a direct write manufacturing process. Colloidal inks consisting of microscopic metal, ceramic, and polymer particles suspended in water will be housed in separate reservoirs and dispensed in a designed pattern. Unlike an inkjet printer, these inks maintain a three dimensional structure. Thus, functional devices such as electronic packages and advanced tissue engineering scaffolds may be designed on a computer and printed as a functioning device. The approach to achieve these aims includes ink formulation and rheological characterization, materials compatibility studies for compositional grading in heterogeneous structures, and testing of functional devices. The education objectives of this project are to merge research themes into classrooms from high school through graduate student levels. A focal point of the educational plan is to encourage science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers among Native American high school students in the state of Oklahoma. The approach to achieve this educational goal will be the establishment of online access to research at Oklahoma State University and a mentoring program to promote early scientific socialization in a targeted minority high school.The ability to print heterogeneous structures that contain combinations of metals, ceramics, and polymers will open new avenues for device design. Composition grading will allow materials combinations that were difficult or impossible to implement in the past due to incompatible properties such as thermal expansion. The investigation of printing polymer-based inks may lead to the development of novel tissue engineering scaffolds. Such scaffolds may open new avenues for joint replacements in arthritic patients. These biological scaffolds will offer unprecedented control of material and cell placement in an engineered tissue construct. The results of the educational program will be to enhance the science exposure of undergraduate and graduate students at Oklahoma State University. The high school mentoring program will increase the level of participation of minority Native American Students in science and engineering fields leading to a more diverse and strong scientific community.