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Intelligent Soft Materials and 3D Printing

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Intelligent materials, also known as active materials, show responses to external stimuli including light, heat, electric field, and magnetic field. With specifically designed polymeric matrix and fillers, intelligent composites facilitate complex deformations and multifunctions.

The magnetic dynamic polymer composite composes of hard-magnetic microparticles in thermally reversible dynamic polymer networks, integrating functionalities of targeted welding, magnetization reprogramming, and structural reconfiguration

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The magnetic shape memory polymer is a composite consisting of two types of magnetic particles in an amorphous shape memory polymer matrix. It integrates multifunctionalities of untethered rapid reversible shape change, sequential actuation, reprogrammability, and shape locking

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Advances in 3D printing technology allow for the fabrication of stimuli-responsive materials with programmable properties and material distributions. Controlled by external stimuli, the printed structure can actively morph shape after 3D printing.

A hybrid 4D printing method is reported to fabricate freestanding liquid crystal elastomers “on-the-fly” by using laser-assisted direct ink writing integrated with digital light processing

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Evolutionary algorithm-guided voxel-encoding direct ink writing printing is a method to program both the magnetic direction and density distributions of the hard-magnetic soft active materials, realizing shape morphing with predetermined curvature distribution

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Multimaterial printing technology can be utilized for the complex structural integration of magnetic soft materials and magnetic shape memory polymers to explore their enhanced multimodal shape transformation and tunable properties

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The mechanics-guided design strategy provides guidance to material and structural design and advanced manufacturing of functional soft composites, through the development of material constitutive model and finite element analysis.

A micromechanics approach through the representative volume element

A micromechanics approach through the representative volume element simulations is utilized to investigate interactions between the magnetic particles and the soft matrix

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Mechanics guided material design

A suitable theoretical framework to analyze hard-magnetic soft materials is developed to facilitate the rational design of magnetically activated functional structures and devices

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A new paradigm that enhances adhesion of films on substrates via designing rational kirigami cuts in the films without changing the thickness, rigidity or adhesiveness of the films

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