(259e) High-Precision Composite 3D Printing with High-Resolution Layer Control

Direct ink writing (DIW) is a mainstream 3D printing for polymer-based feedstocks in the form of solutions, gels, or hydrogels with applications ranging from tissue scaffold, cell culture, printed & flexible electronics, soft robotics, shape-memory materials. However, having multiple nozzles for multi-material printing and the requirement of powerful equipment for achieving higher resolutions makes the system’s operation tedious, complicated, and expensive. A newly developed 3D printing mechanism is reported in this research based on the DIW process called the multiphase direct ink writing (MDIW) for generating in-plane multilayered composite in the XY-plane. The MDIW is constructed with a specially designed modular nozzle that can simultaneously incorporate two immiscible polymer feedstocks, producing layers within the individual printed line. The layer width or the individual domain size within the printed line can be varied depending on the need simply by adjusting the modularity of the nozzle. With appropriate choices of polymers (e.g., thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)) and nanocomposites (e.g., reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and iron oxide (Fe3O4)), the MDIW mechanism demonstrated the material property improvements for structural applications and intelligent behaviors potentially useful for environmental protection, soft robotics, drug delivery, and regenerative medicine, among many others.