Project: #6
4D Printed Hybrid Multi-Responsive Soft Actuators
GOTTIPATI Akhila
4D printing is the field of additive manufacturing where the systems are 3D printed, and the printed component deforms when exposed to a specific stimulus, making time the fourth dimension of 4D printing. The underlying material used for 4D printing is stimuli-responsive.
Hydrogels are well-known solvent-responsive materials that are excellent candidates for various soft sensors and actuators. Light-responsive liquid crystal polymers are a special class of materials with inherent anisotropy that can be engineered to obtain complex shape changes. This project aims to develop light/solvent-responsive hybrid soft actuators to exploit both systems' advantages. One of the main challenges of 4D printing is the development of inks with appropriate rheological properties for better printability. In addition, in the case of hybrid actuators, the surface functionalization of liquid crystal surface (hydrophobic) must be ensured for integration with hydrogel layers. The project's primary objectives are: (1) Develop suitable inks for concurrent 4D printing of hydrogels and liquid crystals with an appropriate interface engineering for inter-layer integrity. (2) Optimize the process parameters for the efficient use of the material and actuation characteristics. (3) Develop continuum models (finite element) to simulate the complex deformations in the printed components upon exposure to the stimulus. (4) Demonstrate applications of the 4D printed actuators in biomedical and microfluidics domains.