Active origami by 4D printing

Recent advances in three dimensional (3D) printing technology that allow multiple materials to be printed within each layer enable the creation of materials and components with precisely controlled heterogeneous microstructures. In addition, active materials, such as shape memory polymers, can be printed to create an active microstructure within a solid. These active materials can subsequently be activated in a controlled manner to change the shape or configuration of the solid in response to an environmental stimulus. This has been termed 4D printing, with the 4th dimension being the time-dependent shape change after the printing. In this paper, we advance the 4D printing concept to the design and fabrication of active origami, where a flat sheet automatically folds into a complicated 3D component. Here we print active composites with shape memory polymer fibers precisely printed in an elastomeric matrix and use them as intelligent active hinges to enable origami folding patterns. We develop a theoretical model to provide guidance in selecting design parameters such as fiber dimensions, hinge length, and programming strains and temperature. Using the model, we design and fabricate several active origami components that assemble from flat polymer sheets, including a box, a pyramid, and two origami airplanes. In addition, we directly print a 3D box with active composite hinges and program it to assume a temporary flat shape that subsequently recovers to the 3D box shape on demand.

[1]  Mary C. Boyce,et al.  Wrinkling of Interfacial Layers in Stratified Composites , 2013 .

[2]  Jian S. Dai,et al.  A packaging robot for complex cartons , 2006, Ind. Robot.

[3]  T. Saha‐Dasgupta,et al.  Ferroic properties in bi-component perovskites: artificial superlattices and naturally forming compounds , 2014, Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal.

[4]  A Lendlein,et al.  Shape-memory polymers as stimuli-sensitive implant materials. , 2005, Clinical hemorheology and microcirculation.

[5]  P. Reis,et al.  Geometry-induced rigidity in nonspherical pressurized elastic shells. , 2012, Physical review letters.

[6]  J. Grossman,et al.  Three-dimensional photovoltaics , 2010 .

[7]  Zhong You,et al.  A solution for folding rigid tall shopping bags , 2011, Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[8]  Qi Ge,et al.  Prediction of temperature-dependent free recovery behaviors of amorphous shape memory polymers , 2012 .

[9]  Martin L. Dunn,et al.  Geometric and material nonlinearity during the deformation of micron-scale thin-film bilayers subject to thermal loading , 2004 .

[10]  Leonid Ionov,et al.  Soft microorigami: self-folding polymer films , 2011 .

[11]  S. Milz,et al.  Hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering made by 3D printing , 2005, Journal of materials science. Materials in medicine.

[12]  Thao D. Nguyen,et al.  A thermoviscoelastic model for amorphous shape memory polymers: Incorporating structural and stress relaxation , 2008 .

[13]  Martin L. Dunn,et al.  Two-way reversible shape memory effects in a free-standing polymer composite , 2011 .

[14]  Thao D. Nguyen,et al.  Finite deformation thermo-mechanical behavior of thermally induced shape memory polymers , 2008 .

[15]  K. Maute,et al.  A Computational Design Methodology for Assembly and Actuation of Thin-Film Structures via Patterning of Eigenstrains , 2009, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.

[16]  Ajay Nahata,et al.  Terahertz plasmonic waveguides created via 3D printing. , 2013, Optics express.

[17]  Zhihan Zhang,et al.  Effect of Rotation Speed to Welding Speed Ratio on Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of Friction Stir Welded Aluminum–Lithium Alloy Joints , 2013 .

[18]  K. Maute,et al.  Design of patterned multilayer films with eigenstrains by topology optimization , 2006 .

[19]  D. Gracias.  Stimuli responsive self-folding using thin polymer films , 2013 .

[20]  M. Buehler,et al.  Tough Composites Inspired by Mineralized Natural Materials: Computation, 3D printing, and Testing , 2013 .

[21]  M. Dickey,et al.  Self-folding of polymer sheets using local light absorption , 2012 .

[22]  H. Jerry Qi,et al.  A 3D finite deformation constitutive model for amorphous shape memory polymers: A multi-branch modeling approach for nonequilibrium relaxation processes , 2011 .

[23]  John G. Curro,et al.  Free volume and the kinetics of aging of polymer glasses , 1984 .

[24]  Jian Li,et al.  Self‐Organized Origami Structures via Ion‐Induced Plastic Strain , 2013, Advanced materials.

[25]  Darren J. Hartl,et al.  Design and numerical analysis of an SMA mesh-based self-folding sheet , 2013 .

[26]  P. Mather,et al.  Shape Memory Polymer Research , 2009 .

[27]  Timur E. Gureyev,et al.  A general few-projection method for tomographic reconstruction of samples consisting of several distinct materials , 2010 .

[28]  Yangyang Yang,et al.  Photo-controllable DNA origami nanostructures assembling into predesigned multiorientational patterns. , 2012, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[29]  Jongmin Shim,et al.  3D Soft Metamaterials with Negative Poisson's Ratio , 2013, Advanced materials.

[30]  M. Dunn,et al.  Photo-origami—Bending and folding polymers with light , 2012 .

[31]  Martin L. Dunn,et al.  Thermomechanical behavior of a two-way shape memory composite actuator , 2013 .

[32]  Qi Ge,et al.  Active materials by four-dimension printing , 2013 .

[33]  Gregory B. McKenna,et al.  Arrhenius-type temperature dependence of the segmental relaxation below Tg , 1999 .

[34]  J. J. Aklonis.  Commentary: Reflections on “Isobaric volume and enthalpy recovery of glasses. II. A transparent multiparameter theory,” by A. J. Kovacs, J. J. Aklonis, J. M. Hutchinson, and A. R. Ramos, J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Phys. Ed., 17, 1097 (1979) , 1996 .

[35]  Andreas Lendlein,et al.  Cover Picture: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 12/2002 , 2002 .

[36]  Robin Shandas,et al.  Effects of thermal rates on the thermomechanical behaviors of amorphous shape memory polymers , 2010 .

[37]  Qi Ge,et al.  Reduced time as a unified parameter determining fixity and free recovery of shape memory polymers , 2014, Nature Communications.

[38]  Victor M. Bright,et al.  Deformation and structural stability of layered plate microstructures subjected to thermal loading , 2002 .

[39]  J. C. Tucker,et al.  Dependence of the Fictive Temperature of Glass on Cooling Rate , 1976 .

[40]  Martin L. Dunn,et al.  Elastic constants of textured short-fiber composites , 1996 .

[41]  Jongmin Shim,et al.  Buckling-induced encapsulation of structured elastic shells under pressure , 2012, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[42]  Gabriele Grimm,et al.  Development of a new calcium phosphate powder-binder system for the 3D printing of patient specific implants , 2007, Journal of materials science. Materials in medicine.

[43]  H Tanaka,et al.  Programmable matter by folding , 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[44]  Pedro M. Reis,et al.  Localization of deformation in thin shells under indentation , 2013 .

[45]  Martin L. Dunn,et al.  Elastic-plastic behavior of textured short-fiber composites , 1997 .

[46]  H. Jerry Qi,et al.  Actuator Designs using Environmentally Responsive Hydrogels , 2008 .

[47]  Martin L. Dunn,et al.  Thermomechanical behavior of shape memory elastomeric composites , 2012 .

[48]  C. Mason,et al.  A rat RNA-Seq transcriptomic BodyMap across 11 organs and 4 developmental stages , 2014, Nature Communications.

[49]  H. Ryu,et al.  Analysis of efficiency droop in nitride light-emitting diodes by the reduced effective volume of InGaN active material , 2012 .

[50]  Martin L. Dunn,et al.  Deformation of blanketed and patterned bilayer thin-film microstructures during post-release and cyclic thermal loading , 2003 .

[51]  L Mahadevan,et al.  Self-Organized Origami , 2005, Science.

[52]  V. M. García-Chocano,et al.  Three-dimensional axisymmetric cloak based on the cancellation of acoustic scattering from a sphere. , 2013, Physical review letters.

[53]  Jinsong Leng,et al.  Mechanisms of multi-shape memory effects and associated energy release in shape memory polymers , 2012 .

[54]  J. Lewis,et al.  Two- and three-dimensional folding of thin film single-crystalline silicon for photovoltaic power applications , 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[55]  D. Hutmacher,et al.  Scaffold development using 3D printing with a starch-based polymer , 2002 .

[56]  Patrick T. Mather,et al.  Review of progress in shape-memory polymers , 2007 .

[57]  Zeeya Merali.  Profile: Zhong You. 'Origami engineer' flexes to create stronger, more agile materials. , 2011, Science.