DLP-Printable Porous Cryogels for 3D Soft Tactile Sensing

Three-Dimensional (3D) printed porous materials hold the potential for various soft sensing applications due to their remarkable flexibility, low density, and customizable geometries. However, developing versatile and efficient fabrication methods is crucial to unlock their full potential. A novel approach is introduced by combining Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing and freeze-drying to manufacture deformable cryogels featuring intricate morphologies. Photocurable hydrogels based on Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)Polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), Polyethylene glycol Diacrylate (PEGDA) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) are successfully printed and lyophilized. In this way, porous cryogels with tailorable properties are achieved. Microporosity varies from 68% to 96%, according to the chemical composition. Ultra-soft cryogels with a compressive modulus of 0.13MPa are fabricated by adding a reactive diluent. As a result of the cryogelation process, which effectively removes water from the hydrogels, microporous structures with details as fine as 100 mu m are obtained. The achieved freedom of design is exploited to fabricate resistive force sensors with a honeycomb lattice morphology. The sensitivity and the working range of the sensors can be tailored by tuning the size of the cells, paving the way for sensors with programmable architectures that can meet diverse requirements. A dual-step approach combining Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing and lyophilization transforms printed hydrogels into porous cryogels with complex shapes. Porosity and mechanical properties are finely controlled based on the chemical composition of starting formulations. Microporous cryogels with details down to 100 mu m are printed. Proof-of-concept scalable soft force sensors show a tuneable response based on the geometry of the core 3D honeycomb architecture. image