We present two mechanical metamaterials on the micrometer scale that change their mechanical behavior under irradiation with a blue LED. First, we show an auxetic metamaterial with a Poisson’s ratio that can be tuned on a large positive to negative values. Second, we demonstrate a chiral metamaterial with a tunable twist per strain that also varies from positive to negative values. For both examples, numerical finite-element calculations agree well with the measurements. Both metamaterials have been fabricated by two-photon microprinting of liquid-crystal elastomers in the presence of a tunable quasi-static electric field to align the local liquid-crystal director.
4D microprinting has become a promising strategy for the fabrication of dynamic microstructures opening new opportunities for the additive manufacturing of functional devices with high precision. During the last years, promising examples of defined 4D microstructures employing hydrogels, liquid crystals and composite materials have been shown using two-photon laser printing. Herein, we present our recent work on the field with emphasis on new responsive materials. In particular, shape memory polymers as well as dynamic covalent polymer networks have been demonstrated to be excellent candidates for the preparation of “living” 4D microstructures with potential applications in micro and nanorobotics or biomedicine.
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