Hydrogels are attractive, active materials for various e‐skin devices based on their unique functionalities such as flexibility and biocompatibility. Still, e‐skin devices are generally limited to simple structures, and the realization of optimal‐shaped 3D e‐skin devices for target applications is an intriguing issue of interest. Furthermore, hydrogels intrinsically suffer from drying and freezing issues in operational capability for practical applications. Herein, 3D artificial skin devices are demonstrated with highly improved device stability. The devices are fabricated in a target‐oriented 3D structure by extrusion‐based 3D printing, spontaneously heal mechanical damage, and enable stable device operation over time and under freezing conditions. Based on the material design to improve drying and freezing resistance, an organohydrogel, prepared by solvent displacement of hydrogel with ethylene glycol for 3 h, exhibits excellent drying resistance over 1000 h and improved freezing resistance by showing no phase transition down to −60 °C while maintaining its self‐healing functionality. Based on the improved drying and freezing resistance, artificial skin devices in target‐oriented optimal 3D structures are presented, which enable accurate positioning of touchpoints even on a complicated 3D structure stably over time and excellent operation at temperatures below 0 °C without losing their flexibility.
Hydrogels are recognized as one of the most promising materials for e‐skin devices because of their unique applicable functionalities such as flexibility, stretchability, biocompatibility, and conductivity. Beyond the excellent sensing functionalities, the e‐skin devices further need to secure a target‐oriented 3D structure to be applied onto various body parts having complex 3D shapes. However, most e‐skin devices are still fabricated in simple 2D film‐type devices, and it is an intriguing issue to fabricate complex 3D e‐skin devices resembling target body parts via 3D printing. Here, a material design guideline is provided to prepare multifunctional hydrogels and their target‐oriented 3D structures based on extrusion‐based 3D printing. The material design parameters to realize target‐oriented 3D structures via 3D printing are systematically derived from the correlation between material design of hydrogels and their gelation characteristics, rheological properties, and 3D printing processability for extrusion‐based 3D printing. Based on the suggested material design window, ion conductive self‐healable hydrogels are designed and successfully applied to extrusion‐based 3D printing to realize various 3D shapes.
SiC slurry with ultra‐high concentration up to 70 vol% was prepared using oxidized fine and coarse SiC powder mixture, and dense SiC green body with a relative density of 76% was fabricated by drying the slurry at ambient condition. Three approaches were performed to prepare highly concentrated SiC slurry; preparation of SiC powder having good dispersion behavior, optimization of the oxidation condition, and optimization of bi‐modal particle size distribution. An aqueous slurry with the solid loading up to 62 vol% could be prepared using fine (150 nm) SiC powder prepared by the mechanical alloying of Si and carbon. The surface property of the fine and coarse (10 μm) SiC powders was optimized using an oxidation treatment. The maximum solid loading of the fine SiC slurry prepared using oxidized powder was 66 vol%. By optimizing the mixing ratio of the oxidized fine and coarse SiC powder to 75:25, the solid loading of the SiC slurry could increase up to 70 vol%. The relative densities of the green bodies after drying 66, 68, and 70 vol% slurries were 69, 75.7, and 76.1%, respectively, which values were higher than those (58%) prepared by cold isostatic pressing under 200 MPa.
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