Chinese researchers have developed the world's first-ever 4D printing for ceramics that are mechanically strong and can have complex shapes, offering broad possible applications in telecommunications, electronics and even space exploration.
The 3D-printed ceramic precursors are soft and can be stretched three times beyond their original length. These flexible and stretchable ceramic precursors allow complex shapes. With proper heat treatment, ceramics with complex shapes can be made, making them the 4D ceramics.
4D printing is conventional 3D printing combined with the additional element of time as the fourth dimension, where the printed objects can re-shape or self-assemble themselves over time with external factors, such as mechanical force, temperature, or a magnetic field.
The existing 3D-printed ceramic precursors, which are usually difficult to deform, also hinder the 4D printing of ceramics with complex shapes. With the versatile shape-morphing capability of the printed ceramic precursors, its application can be huge. One promising application will be for electronic devices because ceramic materials have much better performance in transmitting electromagnetic signals than metallic materials. With the arrival of 5G networks, ceramic products will play a more important role in the manufacture of electronic products.
Also, the artistic nature of ceramics and their capability to form complex shapes also provide the potential for consumers to tailor-make uniquely designed ceramic mobile phone back plates. Furthermore, this innovation can be applied in aero industry and space exploration. Since ceramic is a mechanically strong material that can go through high temperatures, the 4D-printed ceramic has high potential to be used as a propulsion component in the aerospace field.
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