Towards 4D Printing of Very Soft Heterogeneous Magnetoactive Layers for Morphing Surface Applications via Liquid Additive Manufacturing

This work explores the use of liquid additive manufacturing (LAM) to print heterogeneous magnetoactive layers. A general method is proposed where, by studying the printing of pure silicone lines, the successful printing of closed shapes, open shapes, and a combination thereof, can be achieved while accounting for the continuous deposition that is specific to LAM. The results of this characterization are subsequently exploited for the printing of a heterogeneous layer composed of four magnetoactive discs embedded in a pure silicone square. Such a layer, when affixed to a softer silicone substrate, yields a system that produces truly three-dimensional surface patterns upon application of a magnetic field. Hence, this work demonstrates that LAM is a promising approach for the rapid 4D printing of morphing surfaces exhibiting 3D surface patterns that can be actuated remotely and reversibly via a magnetic field. Such heterogenous layers have a wide range of applications, ranging from haptics to camouflage to differential cell growth.