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Our current research interest is focused on 3D/4D printing of smart and functional materials.
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Additive manufacturing (AM), also called as 3D printing, is well-known as a remarkable breakthrough in modern manufacturing technology. 3D printing provides the precise dimensional control of materials and enables the fabrication of highly complex and detailed structures across multiple length scales. As 3D printing of a variety of materials becomes available, many different types of functional devices have been developed. However, most of them are passive and limited to single and simple functionality. 3D printing of soft active materials enables the development of active and multi-functional devices, which could impact a variety of fields, including soft robots, energy devices, biomedical devices, artificial organs, and human-machine interfaces.

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Specifically, Our research is divided into four major themes:
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(1) Smart Materials - It is essential to understand smart materials for implementing their characteristics and functionalities into devices effectively. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels, well-known smart materials, exhibit active changes in response to external environmental conditions, such as temperature, pH, light, magnetic field, electric field, and chemical triggers. Thus, we have been studying the fundamental physics of stimuli-responsive hydrogels and developing active functional devices, such as soft robots, biomedical devices, and artificial organs.
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(2) Advanced Manufacturing (3D/4D Printing & Bioprinting) - Different types of additive manufacturing (AM) have been developed based on their unique attributes and abilities, such as direct ink writing (DIW), fused deposition modeling (FDM), material jetting (MJ), stereolithography (SLA), and digital light processing (DLP). Furthermore, by employing new functional materials with novel properties, new branches of AM has emerged, such as 4D printing and bioprinting. In line with, we have developed and used DLP-based and DIW-based AM techniques and demonstrated 4D printing with soft active materials and bioprinting using biological materials.
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(3) Bioinspired Design and Functional Devices - Some of the biological organisms, from insects to human, give inspiration to a broad spectrum of engineering systems from their unique geometries and functionalities. Taking advantage of the precise dimensional control of multiple soft active materials afforded by our novel multi-material 3D printing system, we have designed and developed bioinspired devices, such as honeybee-inspired microneedle and cephalopod-inspired camouflage skin.
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(4) Biomedical and Energy Devices - The ability to print biological and electrical materials together in 3D could enable the creation of various biomedical and energy devices with personalized geometries and functionalities. We have been investigating fundamental biological systems and developing biomedical devices, such as spatiotemporal drug delivery systems, functional microneedles, and disease screening systems. Furthermore, we have been fabricating energy devices based on our multi-material 3D printing technique.
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Sponsors
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