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Pottery has been given a futuristic makeover. It鈥檚 now possible to 4D-print ceramics, which could be used to make strong, sophisticated parts in rockets and electronic devices.
4D-printing involves making 3D structures that can change their shape over time in response to stimuli like heat, light or elastic forces. The technique is useful for creating complex structures, but has mostly been limited to flexible materials like metals and plastics.
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Now, Jian Lu at City University of Hong Kong and his colleagues have developed a way to make 4D-printed ceramics, which have the advantage of being extremely strong and temperature-resistant.
The researchers first developed a ceramic 鈥渋nk鈥� by mixing ceramic nanoparticles with stretchy silicone rubber. The ink was used to print stretchy sheets that could be bent and twisted into a variety of shapes, like a dress, rose and replica of the Sydney Opera House.
To create 4D structures, the researchers stretched the sheets and attached joints in different places. Once released, the patterns of joints made the stretched sheets contract and assemble into bent or helical shapes.
Finally, heating the structures at 1000 degrees Celsius caused them to react with air and form hard, rigid ceramics.
The printing method may be useful for building ceramic rocket parts with high strength and heat resistance, says Lu. It could also be used in the manufacturing of mobile phones, which increasingly use ceramic parts to improve signal transmission and battery safety, he says.
Science Advances
