What is it about?
By using a droplet-based, multi-phase microfluidic system, the team was able to efficiently print finely-tuned flexible materials with potential applications in soft robotics, tissue engineering and wearable technology
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Why is it important?
Most traditional extrusion-based 3D printers, printing material is pushed through a nozzle and added to the structure repeatedly until the product is complete. While this is efficient and cost-effective, it makes it hard to print structures made of more than one material and getting the right amount of softness can be challenging. Wan’s group noticed that this nozzle was similar to the glass capillary microfluidic devices they had been studying, which involve multiple nozzles placed inside of each other, and realized they had a new application for the technology.
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This page is a summary of: On-demand modulation of 3D-printed elastomers using programmable droplet inclusions, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1917289117.
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