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Fiber-reinforced composites have provided tremendous opportunities in advanced engineering materials, but the fiber generation and spatial distribution are the most challenging aspects. This paper proposes a novel fabrication approach for fiber-reinforced composites with spatially resolved fiber distribution by combining immersion and near-field electrospinning. The new Immersed Electrohydrodynamic Direct-writing (I-EHD) process makes use of an electrostatic force to draw ultrafine fibers and allows the freestanding of electrospun fibers all inside a liquid matrix. This novel approach enables the dynamic control of fiber morphology and 3D spatial distribution inside the composites, which may lead to future scalable 3D printing of multifunctional composites.
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3D jet writing of mechanically actuated tandem scaffolds
The need for high-precision microprinting processes that are controllable, scalable, and compatible with different materials persists throughout a range of biomedical fields. Electrospinning techniques offer scalability and compatibility with a wide arsenal of polymers, but typically lack precise three-dimensional (3D) control. We found that charge reversal during 3D jet writing can enable the high-throughput production of precisely engineered 3D structures. The trajectory of the jet is governed by a balance of destabilizing charge-charge repulsion and restorative viscoelastic forces. The reversal of the voltage polarity lowers the net surface potential carried by the jet and thus dampens the occurrence of bending instabilities typically observed during conventional electrospinning. In the absence of bending instabilities, precise deposition of polymer fibers becomes attainable. The same principles can be applied to 3D jet writing using an array of needles resulting in complex composite materials that undergo reversible shape transitions due to their unprecedented structural control.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1647837
- PAR ID:
- 10331857
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Science Advances
- Volume:
- 7
- Issue:
- 16
- ISSN:
- 2375-2548
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf5289
