CAREER: High-Resolution Hybrid Printing of Wearable Heaters with Shape-Changeable Structures

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Four-dimensional (4D) printing is an emerging additive manufacturing technology that enables three-dimensional (3D) printed structures to deform between predefined shapes when exposed to certain stimuli. Currently, various 3D printing approaches are widely used to produce shape-changing objects. However, most of these processes are either complex, costly, have limited applicable materials, or offer low resolution, making them unsuitable for producing high-precision multi-material structures. To address this challenge, this Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) project supports research that will build new knowledge related to high-resolution hybrid 4D printing, in which two types of printing processes are used for material deposition, and will create new methods of fabricating high-resolution multi-material shape-changing structures with precise deformations. The fundamental research could speed the development of these 4D printing systems and processes, which can lead to potential applications in aerospace, healthcare, biology, and automotive industries, with potential impact on the US economy, national health, and society. The educational objective of the project is to improve STEM education by inspiring students from minority and underrepresented groups, attracting more undergraduate students to the advanced manufacturing field, training graduate students, and providing hands-on research and demonstration opportunities to K-12 students.This CAREER project will focus on developing a hybrid 4D printing process, which integrates high-resolution electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing and high-throughput extrusion printing to fabricate flexible structures with shape-changing capability. If successful, this project will significantly advance the scientific understanding of the complex interactions between materials and printing processes, including 1) understanding how the extrusion-printed structures affect the EHD printing process and how the in-flight speed of EHD deposition affects the resolution and impact damage on the printed shape-changing substrate; 2) studying how EHD printing voltage and printing bed temperature affect deformation capability, flexibility, and mechanical strength of structures printed with selected shape-changing materials; and 3) understanding the shape-changing mechanism for multi-material structures, and developing and evaluating feasible designs for shape-changeable flexible structures. In pre-college outreach programs (Rebel Research Scholars, Engineering Summer Academy, and Discover Engineering at UM) and other educational activities, this project will provide course materials, learning modules, and hands-on lab projects for students from K-12 to graduate level. The planned multidisciplinary research- and teaching-based education and outreach programs will link the research outcomes and students’ activities, with a goal of increasing their interest in advanced manufacturing and the needs of modern industries.This project is jointly funded by the Advanced Manufacturing program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.