Rapid synchronized fabrication of vascularized thermosets and composites

Mayank Garg, Jia En Aw, Xiang Zhang, Polette J. Centellas, Leon M. Dean, Evan M. Lloyd, Ian D. Robertson, Yiqiao Liu, Mostafa Yourdkhani, Jeffrey S. Moore, Philippe H. Geubelle and Nancy R. Sottos ()
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Mayank Garg: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jia En Aw: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Xiang Zhang: University of Wyoming
Polette J. Centellas: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Leon M. Dean: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Evan M. Lloyd: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ian D. Robertson: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Yiqiao Liu: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mostafa Yourdkhani: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jeffrey S. Moore: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Philippe H. Geubelle: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Nancy R. Sottos: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Bioinspired vascular networks transport heat and mass in hydrogels, microfluidic devices, self-healing and self-cooling structures, filters, and flow batteries. Lengthy, multistep fabrication processes involving solvents, external heat, and vacuum hinder large-scale application of vascular networks in structural materials. Here, we report the rapid (seconds to minutes), scalable, and synchronized fabrication of vascular thermosets and fiber-reinforced composites under ambient conditions. The exothermic frontal polymerization (FP) of a liquid or gelled resin facilitates coordinated depolymerization of an embedded sacrificial template to create host structures with high-fidelity interconnected microchannels. The chemical energy released during matrix polymerization eliminates the need for a sustained external heat source and greatly reduces external energy consumption for processing. Programming the rate of depolymerization of the sacrificial thermoplastic to match the kinetics of FP has the potential to significantly expedite the fabrication of vascular structures with extended lifetimes, microreactors, and imaging phantoms for understanding capillary flow in biological systems.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-23054-7

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23054-7

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