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

本学院早期职业发展（Career）计划项目的研究目标是研究过程变量和材料特性，这些变量和材料特性将使利用直接写入制造工艺组装复杂设备成为可能。胶体墨水由悬浮在水中的微小金属、陶瓷和聚合物颗粒组成，将被安置在单独的储层中，并按照设计的模式进行分配。与喷墨打印机不同，这些墨水保持三维结构。因此，诸如电子封装和高级组织工程支架之类的功能装置可以在计算机上设计并作为功能装置打印出来。实现这些目标的方法包括油墨配方和流变特性、异质结构中成分分级的材料相容性研究以及功能器件的测试。该项目的教育目标是将研究主题融入从高中到研究生水平的课堂。该教育计划的一个重点是鼓励俄克拉何马州的印第安高中生从事科学、技术、工程和数学方面的职业。实现这一教育目标的方法将是在俄克拉荷马州立大学建立在线研究访问和指导计划，以促进少数民族高中的早期科学社会化。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热膨胀等不相容特性而难以或不可能实现的材料组合。聚合物基印刷油墨的研究可能会导致新型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了新的途径。这些生物支架将在工程组织结构中提供前所未有的材料和细胞放置控制。该教育计划的结果将是提高俄克拉荷马州立大学本科生和研究生的科学接触。高中指导计划将提高少数民族美国土著学生在科学和工程领域的参与水平，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.