Phys.org December 13, 2024
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are nanostructured, melt-processable, elastomeric block copolymers. When TPEs that form cylindrical or lamellar nanostructures are macroscopically oriented, their material properties can exhibit several orders of magnitude of anisotropy. Researchers at Princeton University demonstrated that the flows applied during the 3D printing of a cylinder-forming TPE enables hierarchical control over material nanostructure and function. 3D printing allowed control over the extent of nanostructural and mechanical anisotropy. They had tunable local and macroscopic mechanical responses. They achieved melt-reprocessability over multiple cycles, reprogramability, and robust self-healing via a brief period of thermal annealing, enabling facile fabrication of highly tunable, robust, and recyclable soft architectures… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
3D printing-induced alignment of TPE triblock copolymers. Credit: Advanced Functional Materials, Volume34, Issue 48, November 26, 2024