Programmabe 3D/4D printed architected materials based on nanocellulose

• Grant number: 23/04970-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: December 20, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Lenyra Meirelles Campos Titotto
• Grantee: Beatriz Sakamoto Arsuffi
• Supervisor: Chiara Daraio
• Host Institution: Centro de Engenharia, Modelagem e Ciências Sociais Aplicadas (CECS). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: California Institute of Technology, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/10706-7 - Programmable cellulose nanocomposite for 4D printing of bioinspired robotic matter, BP.MS

Abstract

In plant cell walls, the orientation of cellulose fibrils is the fundamental mechanism underlying the structural reinforcement and shape-morphing caused by anisotropic swelling. This work proposes to achieve this control of nanocellulose arrangement by 3D printing, aiming the rapid fabrication of sustainable architected materials with tailored properties. During the extrusion process of 3D printing, high shear forces are applied to induce the alignment of the nanocellulose particles in the direction of the printed filament. The resulting nanocellulose alignment enables anisotropic reinforcement and governs shape transformations in hydrogel structures. Here, the nanocellulose-based hydrogel formulations with excellent printability, developed at UFABC, will be used to 3D/4D print architected materials with tuneable mechanical properties and intended shape-shifting. By using thermoresponsive hydrogel and 3D printing technology, it will be possible to fabricate 4D architected materials, programmable both in space and time. The printed structures will be characterized using state-of-the-art facilities for mechanical and multifunctional testing of materials at the Daraio Group at Caltech. (AU)