Multi-Material 3D and 4D Printing: A Survey.

Recent advances in multi-material 3D and 4D printing (time as the fourth dimension) show that the technology has the potential to extend the design space beyond complex geometries. The potential of these additive manufacturing (AM) technologies allows for functional inclusion in a low-cost single-step manufacturing process. Different composite materials and various AM technologies can be used and combined to create customized multi-functional objects to suit many needs.

Conductive films of silver nanoparticles as novel susceptors for induction welding of thermoplastic composites.

In the present work, a conductive film of silver nanoparticles (nAg) as a novel heating element type, called susceptor, was developed and tested for induction welding of carbon fiber/polyphenylene sulfide (CF/PPS) thermoplastic composites, i.e., unidirectional pre-impregnated 16 plies of CF/PPS compression-molded in a quasi-isotropic stacking sequence.

Three-Dimensional Dielectrophoretic Microparticle Separator Fabricated by Ultraviolet-Assisted Direct-Write Assembly.

The design and fabrication of complex microfluidic devices is a subject of broad biomedical and technological interest. In this paper, we demonstrate the fabrication of a three-dimensional (3D) dielectrophoretic microparticle separator involving ultraviolet (UV)-assisted direct-write assembly of a UV-curable polyurethane. This approach yields a series of 3D microcoil interdigitated electrodes with defined geometry promoting particle separation through dielectrophoresis.

Three-Dimensional Printing of Multifunctional Nanocomposites: Manufacturing Techniques and Applications.

The integration of nanotechnology into three-dimensional printing (3DP) offers huge potential and opportunities for the manufacturing of 3D engineered materials exhibiting optimized properties and multifunctionality. The literature relating to different 3DP techniques used to fabricate 3D structures at the macro- and microscale made of nanocomposite materials is reviewed here. The current state-of-the-art fabrication methods, their main characteristics (e.

Direct-write fabrication of freestanding nanocomposite strain sensors.

This paper deals with the design and microfabrication of two three-dimensional (3D) freestanding patterned strain sensors made of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) nanocomposites with the ultraviolet-assisted direct-write (UV-DW) technique. The first sensor consisted of three nanocomposite microfibers suspended between two rectangular epoxy pads. The flexibility of the UV-DW technique enables the sensor and its housing to be manufactured in one monolithic structure.

Preparation of highly exfoliated polyester-clay nanocomposites: process-property correlations.

A large number of polyester nanocomposite batches featuring different kinds of nanoclay surface modifiers and up to 6 wt % nanoclay were manufactured using a solvent-based technique. Montmorillonite platelets modified with ammonium ions of different chemical architectures were examined to study the effect of ammonium ions on the extent of surface reactions with long-chain fatty acids. The ammonium montmorillonite was first dispersed and suspended in acetone.