Fully Printed Flexible Smart Hybrid Hydrogels

Zhou, Yang; Layani, Michael; Wang, Shancheng; Hu, Peng; Ke, Yujie; Magdassi, Shlomo; Long, Yi

doi:10.1002/adfm.201705365

Cited by 144 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Even after rehydration in deionized water, the LM lines can still adhere to the hydrogel (Figure I,J). We believe the unique hydrogel with patterned LM is promising for development of hydrogel bioelectronics and smart hydrogels . Herein, we only demonstrated one simple sample of out of plane patterning of LM in the microtube.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Versatile Approach for Direct Patterning of Liquid Metal Using Magnetic Field

Chi

et al. 2019

Adv Funct Materials

155

130

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Patterning of liquid metal (LM) is usually an integral step toward its practical applications. However, the high surface tension along with surface oxide makes direct patterning of LM very challenging. Existing LM patterning techniques are designed for limited types of planar substrates, which require multiple-step operation, delicate molds and masks, and expensive equipment. In this work, a simple, versatile, and equipment-free approach for direct patterning of LM on various substrates using magnetic field is reported. To achieve this, magnetic microparticles are dispersed into LM by stirring. When a moving magnetic field is applied to the LM droplet, the aggregated magnetic microparticles deform the droplet to a continuous line. In addition, this approach is also applicable to supermetallophobic substrates since the applied magnetic field significantly enhances the contact between LM and substrate. Moreover, remote manipulation of the magnetic microparticles allows direct patterning of LM on nonplanar surfaces, even in a narrow and near closed space, which is impossible for the existing techniques. A few applications are also demonstrated using the proposed technique for flexible electronics and wearable sensors.The ORCID identification number(s) for the author(s) of this article can be found under https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201901370. used for the other liquids. Therefore, it is challenging to directly pattern LM using some well-established printing strategies such as inkjet or screen printing.Various LM patterning techniques have been developed in the past few years based on microfluidic injection, [11] selective wetting, [2d,12] LM suspensions printing, [13] stencil lithography, [14] reductive printing, [15] imprint lithography, [16] selective mechanical sintering, [17] laser patterning, [18] microcontact printing, [19] and three-dimensional (3D) printing. [20] However, the reported techniques involved multiple-step operation, additional pretreatment of substrate, post sintering, delicate molds and masks, tedious microfabrication process, as well as sophisticated equipment. These not only complicated the fabrication but also increased the cost. Besides, each of these reported techniques was designed for a specific substrate, which limited the widespread applications of LM. Due to low adhesion, it is rather difficult to directly pattern LM or transfer the existing LM patterns onto supermetallophobic substrates, on which the contact angle of an LM droplet exceed 150°. In addition, most existing patterning techniques were limited to planar substrates. 3D patterning of LM remains rather challenging, which involved sophisticated facilities (e.g., pressure pump, translation stage) and additional encapsulation and fixation steps for practical applications. [20a] Thus, developing a simple, versatile, and equipment-free LM patterning technique for various planar and nonplanar substrates is highly desired to broaden the applications of LM.It has been reported that magnetic actuation can be used for LM manipu...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Versatile Approach for Direct Patterning of Liquid Metal Using Magnetic Field

Chi

et al. 2019

Adv Funct Materials

155

130

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…One of the most important parameters of 3D printing is the rheological behavior of the pre‐gel solution. A pre‐gel solution with excellent fluidity is not stable for 3D printing because the extruded pre‐gel solution must be stable before gelation . Nanocomposite technology is an effective method to adjust the rheological behavior of the pre‐gel solution.…”

Section: Shaping Nanocomposite Hydrogelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A pre-gel solution with excellent fluidity is not stable for 3D printing because the extruded pre-gel solution must be stable before gelation. [179] Nanocomposite technology is an effective method to adjust the rheological behavior of the pre-gel solution. In a representative strategy, the houseof-cards structure formed by the electrostatic repulsion of clay (Laponite XLG) enhances the physical interaction between monomer and clay, thereby reducing the fluidity of the pregel solution.…”

Section: Figure 12mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanoparticle–Polymer Synergies in Nanocomposite Hydrogels: From Design to Application

Chen

Hou

Ren

et al. 2018

Macromol. Rapid Commun.

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Hydrogels are an important class of soft materials with high water retention that exhibit intelligent and elastic properties and have promising applications in the fields of biomaterials, soft machines, and artificial tissue. However, the low mechanical strength and limited functions of traditional chemically cross-linked hydrogels restrict their further applications. Natural materials that consist of stiff and soft components exhibit high mechanical strength and functionality. Among artificial soft materials, nanocomposite hydrogels are analogous to these natural materials because of the synergistic effects of nanoparticle (NP) polymers in hydrogels construction. In this article, the structural design and properties of nanocomposite hydrogels are summarized. Furthermore, along with the development of nanocomposite hydrogel-based devices, the shaping and potential applications of hydrogel devices in recent years are highlighted. The influence of the interactions between NPs and polymers on the dispersion as well as the structural stability of nanocomposite hydrogels is discussed, and the novel stimuli-responsive properties induced by the synergies between functional NPs and polymeric networks are reviewed. Finally, recent progress in the preparation and applications of nanocomposite hydrogels is highlighted. Interest in this field is growing, and the future and prospects of nanocomposite hydrogels are also reviewed.

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“…Smart windows have been brought up as a reliable method to economize the building energy consumption due to their abilities to modulate the solar transmittance going through the windows “smartly” depending on the stimulations. [ 4–6 ] Smart windows are categorized as electrochromic smart window, photochromic smart window, mechanochromic and thermochromic smart window, based on the different stimulation sources as summarized in recent review. [ 7 ] Thermochromic smart windows are usually considered as a promising technology due to passive response, rational stimulus, easy fabrication, simple configuration and cost‐effective materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printed Smart Windows for Adaptive Solar Modulations

Zhou

Tan

et al. 2020

Advanced Optical Materials

Self Cite

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Vanadium dioxide (VO2) based thermochromic smart window is considered as the most promising approach for economizing building energy consumption. However, the high phase transition temperature (τc), low luminous transmission (Tlum), and solar modulation (ΔTsol) impose an invertible challenge for commercialization. Currently, smart window research surprisingly assumes that the sunlight radiates in one direction which is obviously not valid as most regions receive solar radiation at various angles in different seasons. For the first time, solar elevation angle is considered and 3D printing technology is employed to fabricate tilted microstructures for modulating solar transmission dynamically. To maximize energy‐saving performance, the architecture of the structures (tilt, thickness, spacing, and width) and tungsten (W) doped VO2 can be custom‐designed according to the solar elevation angle variation at the midday between seasons and tackle the issue of compromised Tlum and ΔTsol with W‐doping. The energy consumption simulations in different cities prove the efficiency of such dynamic modulation. This first attempt to adaptively regulate the solar modulation by considering the solar elevation angle together with one of the best reported thermochromic properties (τc = 40 °C, Tlum(average) = 40.8%, ΔTsol = 23.3%) may open a new era of real‐world‐scenario smart window research.

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Fully Printed Flexible Smart Hybrid Hydrogels

Cited by 144 publications

References 50 publications

A Versatile Approach for Direct Patterning of Liquid Metal Using Magnetic Field

A Versatile Approach for Direct Patterning of Liquid Metal Using Magnetic Field

Nanoparticle–Polymer Synergies in Nanocomposite Hydrogels: From Design to Application

3D Printed Smart Windows for Adaptive Solar Modulations

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