Soft Matter in 3D Printing: from Polymer Confinement to Nanoparticle Alignment

Conventional confinement phenomena include the quantum-confined effect and the polymer chain topologies in thin films. Inspired by these effects, this study will include a few phenomena in the advanced manufacturing of polymer materials that serve as templates to direct the organization and assembly of nanoparticles. The first example is polymer fiber spinning. When nanolayers are created, the nanoparticles will be forced assembled. In this case, the 2D nanoparticles confined with the neighboring polymer layers will be directed to dissipate heat that can be used for intelligent textiles. The second example involves the coating on varying polymer surfaces when the nanoparticles are driven by secondary forces, leading to the ordered stacking of 2D nanoparticles. Subsequently, the demonstration in sensing also shows the potential of using polymer-particle composites for wearable technologies. Last, a new 3D printing with multiplying capabilities has been developed for depositing multiple materials. Nanoparticles under a shear field during extrusion can influence polymer physics, including crystallography and composite mechanics. The focus on the manufacturing-structure-property relationship, especially the nanoparticle assembly with different mechanisms, will be the focus of this research, with demonstration in structural composites, energy storage, and human health.