Bioinspired 3D structures with programmable morphologies and motions

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 3705 - 11
• Main Authors: Nojoomi, Amirali, Arslan, Hakan, Lee, Kwan, Yum, Kyungsuk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 12.09.2018; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 142/126; 639/166/988; 639/301/54/989; 639/301/923/1027; Contraction; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrogels; Hydrogels - chemistry; Models, Theoretical; Morphing; Morphology; multidisciplinary; Replication; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Soft tissues; Swelling; Temperature; Three dimensional models; Three dimensional printing; Tissue Engineering
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05569-8

Living organisms use spatially controlled expansion and contraction of soft tissues to achieve complex three-dimensional (3D) morphologies and movements and thereby functions. However, replicating such features in man-made materials remains a challenge. Here we report an approach that encodes 2D hydrogels with spatially and temporally controlled growth (expansion and contraction) to create 3D structures with programmed morphologies and motions. This approach uses temperature-responsive hydrogels with locally programmable degrees and rates of swelling and shrinking. This method simultaneously prints multiple 3D structures with custom design from a single precursor in a one-step process within 60 s. We suggest simple yet versatile design rules for creating complex 3D structures and a theoretical model for predicting their motions. We reveal that the spatially nonuniform rates of swelling and shrinking of growth-induced 3D structures determine their dynamic shape changes. We demonstrate shape-morphing 3D structures with diverse morphologies, including bioinspired structures with programmed sequential motions. Spatially controlled expansion and contraction of soft tissues to achieve complex three dimensional morphologies remains challenging in man-made materials. Here the authors demonstrate encoding of 2D hydrogels with spatially and temporally controlled growth to create dynamic 3D structures.