Magnetic Actuators: 3D‐Printed Silicone Soft Architectures with Programmed Magneto‐Capillary Reconfiguration (Adv. Mater. Technol. 4/2019)

Abstract

In article number https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.201800528, Sangchul Roh, Orlin D. Velev, and co‐workers present a new class of 3D‐printed soft mesh actuators floating on water. They exhibit reversible and programmable shape reconfiguration via combined magnetic and capillary forces. The silicone meshes can carry single droplets of water and dispense them on demand.

3D Printing of Functional Magnetic Materials: From Design to Applications

“…[125] Typically, NdFeB microparticles, SPIONs, [126] Ni/Ti bilayer coatings, [127] and other magnetic materials are embedded in the robots' bodies or deposited on the body surfaces. Based on different 3D printing technologies and application scenarios, various 3D printing materials are used as the hosting matrix for the magnetic materials, including alginate, [126b] silicone, [128] SU-8, [127] polyethylene-polypropylene glycol, [126c] hydrogel, [20b] and so on.…”

“…Due to its good printability of various composites, DIW was applied to fabricate elastomeric robots driven by magnetic force that undergo complicated reconfiguration and shape change (Figure 8a). [128] The soft silicone paste embedding carbonyl iron particles was directly printed in the shape of ultrasoft wavy structures, which is nearly impossible to be fabricated by the traditional manufacturing processes. Under the action of magnetic force, the "elastin-like" structures can contract easily, and the functions such as the switchable water droplet dispenser were demonstrated.…”

“…[13] For the starfish-shaped robots, GelMA mixed with 40% w/v of IOPs were directly printed into Reproduced with permission. [128] Copyright 2019, Wiley VCH. b) Artificial fish printed by high-resolution COP technology can be guided by magnetic force through embedding magnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles.…”

“…Under the action of magnetic force, the "elastin-like" structures can contract easily, and the functions such as the switchable water droplet dispenser were demonstrated. [128] Besides the DIW process, the SLA-based methods were also investigated to print hybrid materials containing magnetic particles due to their fast fabrication speed and high resolution. An artificial fish guided by magnetic force was fabricated using a microscale continuous optical printing (μCOP) system.…”

“…a) Elastomeric robots with ultrasoft wavy structures printed by DIW method. Reproduced with permission [128]. Copyright 2019, Wiley VCH.…”