CAREER: Bioinspired Shape-Morphing 3D Materials with Programmed Morphologies and Motions

非技术摘要：生物体利用空间控制的软组织扩张和收缩来实现复杂的三维（3D）形状和运动，从而实现功能。然而，在人造材料中重现这些特征带来了科学挑战。该职业奖旨在设计和开发具有编程形状和运动的生物启发3D材料。刺激响应，合成和生物细胞封装水凝胶片（2D材料）将被编码为空间控制的膨胀和收缩，通过控制变形将2D材料转换为可编程的3D形状。生物有机体使用这种方法进行基本的生物过程，包括复杂的生长、运动和对环境的适应。因此，提出的研究具有制造生物启发的3D材料的潜力，这种材料可以根据外部信号（如温度、电场和光）改变其3D形状。这种可改变形状的3D材料可以应用于各种领域，包括软体机器人、人造肌肉、生物医学设备和组织工程。此外，该项目将开发基于软机器人活动的博物馆和夏令营外展项目，以促进K-12学生对科学和工程的兴趣。综合研究和教育活动将加强研究型多学科教育，培养下一代生物软材料和工程研究人员。技术摘要：本次职业奖的目标是设计和开发具有编程形态和运动的生物启发形状变形3D材料。为了实现这一目标，该项目将(1)设计和制备刺激响应、可编程合成和细胞负载的水凝胶片（2D水凝胶），(2)开发一种方法，利用数字光投影光刻技术对2D水凝胶进行空间控制的平面内生长（膨胀和收缩）编码。这种方法将通过面外弯曲变形将2D水凝胶转化为可编程的3D结构。由此产生的3D结构将能够在响应外部刺激（如温度、离子、电场和光）的程序化3D形状之间可逆地转换。本研究将建立一个集成的理论和实验框架，以设计和创建仿生3D材料，并对其3D形态和运动进行编程，包括如何通过空间控制收缩来编码承载细胞的水凝胶，以创建具有编程运动的形状变形3D组织。这种能力将使许多领域受益，包括仿生软机器人、人造肌肉、可编程物质、生物医学设备、动态3D组织模型、组织工程和仿生3D制造。该项目将整合研究和教育活动，以(1)通过博物馆和夏令营外展计划，通过动手软机器人活动促进K-12学生对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域的兴趣，(2)加强研究型多学科教育，(3)培养下一代生物启发软材料、生物启发工程和仿生3D制造研究人员。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-technical abstract: Living organisms use spatially controlled expansion and contraction of soft tissues to achieve complex three-dimensional (3D) shapes and movements and thereby functions. However, reproducing such features in man-made materials presents scientific challenges. This CAREER award aims to design and develop bioinspired 3D materials with programmed shapes and motions. Stimuli-responsive, synthetic and biological cell-encapsulating hydrogel sheets (2D materials) will be encoded with spatially controlled expansion and contraction to transform the 2D materials into programmed 3D shapes through controlled deformation. Biological organisms use such approaches for fundamental biological processes, including complex growth, movement, and adaptation to environments. The proposed research thus has potential for fabricating bioinspired 3D materials that can change their 3D shapes in response to external signals, such as temperature, electric field, and light. Such shape-changing 3D materials could find applications in various areas, including soft robotics, artificial muscles, biomedical devices, and tissue engineering. Furthermore, this project will develop museum and summer camp outreach programs based on soft robotics activities to promote the interest of K-12 students in science and engineering. The integrated research and educational activities will enhance research-oriented multidisciplinary education and develop the next generation of researchers in bioinspired soft materials and engineering. Technical abstract: The goal of this CAREER award is to design and develop bioinspired shape-morphing 3D materials with programmed morphologies and motions. In pursuit of this goal, this project will (1) design and prepare stimuli-responsive, programmable synthetic and cell-laden hydrogel sheets (2D hydrogels) and (2) develop a method to encode the 2D hydrogels with spatially controlled in-plane growth (expansion and contraction) using digital light projection lithography. This approach will transform the 2D hydrogels into programmed 3D structures via out-of-plane bending deformation. The resulting 3D structures will be able to reversibly transform between programmed 3D shapes in response to external stimuli, such as temperature, ion, electric field, and light. This research will establish an integrated theoretical and experimental framework to design and create bioinspired 3D materials and program their 3D morphologies and motions, including how to encode cell-laden hydrogels with spatially controlled contraction to create shape-morphing 3D tissues with programmed motions. Such capability will benefit many areas, including bioinspired soft robotics, artificial muscles, programmable matter, biomedical devices, dynamic 3D tissue models, tissue engineering, and biomimetic 3D manufacturing. This project will integrate research and educational activities to (1) promote the interest of K-12 students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields using hands-on soft robotics activities through museum and summer camp outreach programs, (2) enhance research-oriented multidisciplinary education, and (3) develop the next generation of researchers in bioinspired soft materials, bioinspired engineering, and biomimetic 3D manufacturing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.