Abstract
Polymerization reactions triggered by stimuli play a pivotal role in materials science, with applications ranging from lithography to biomedicine to adaptive materials. However, the development of chemically triggered, stimuli-responsive systems that can confer spatial and temporal control on polymerization remains a challenge. Herein, chemical-stimuli-induced polymerization based on a liquid crystal (LC) printhead is presented. The LC responds to a local chemical stimulus at its aqueous interface, resulting in the ejection of initiator into the solution to trigger polymerization. Various LC printhead geometries are designed, allowing programming of: i) bulk solution polymerization, ii) synthesis of a thin surface-confined polymeric coating, iii) polymerization-induced self-assembly of block copolymers to form various nanostructures (sphere, worm-like, and vesicles), and iv) 3D polymeric structures printed according to local solution conditions. The approach is demonstrated using amphiphiles, multivalent ions, and biomolecules as stimuli.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2106535 |
| Journal | Advanced Materials |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 24 2022 |
Funding
X.W. and H.S. contributed equally to this work. Support of this research from the Army Research Office through W911NF‐15‐1‐0568 and W911NF‐17‐1‐0575 is acknowledged.
Keywords
- 3D printing
- liquid crystals
- materials computation
- polymerization
- unconventional triggers
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering