Material Invention: Harvard University Developed 3D Printing Shape Memory Wool Like Materials For Textiles

Researchers at Harvard University have developed a biodegradable and sustainable wool like material with shape memory that can be 3D printed to create novel textiles and other products.

A team at Harvard's John Paulson School of engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) developed the biomaterial, which is made from recycled materials. Materials can be 3D printed to any shape and pre programmed using reversible shape memory.

The invention is significant not only because the materials created by the researchers are made from the waste left over from the textile industry, but also because it can help the industry, which produces large amounts of waste, become more sustainable.

Led by kit Parker, a professor of bioengineering and applied physics at sea, the team developed materials from keratin extracted from the remaining Agora and mohair. Keratin is a fibrin found in hair, nails and shells and is also used in many skin and hair care products.

"Through this project, we have shown that we can not only recycle wool, but also make things out of recycled wool that we have never imagined. This has an impact on the sustainability of natural resources. Clean up," Parker said in a news statement

Shape memory solutions

Luca Cera, a postdoctoral researcher at sea, explained that the materials developed by the research team can be processed into fibers or 3D textiles, and have shape memory properties triggered by water like human hair.

Shape memory means that materials can have both permanent and temporary shapes, which is useful for developing more versatile clothing.

Cera told design news that "materials can be given arbitrary and temporary shapes with specific stimuli.". "Once the stimulus is removed, the material will remain in its temporary shape. If the stimulus is applied again, the material will remember the permanent shape and convert it to a permanent shape dynamically."

He said the feature could be applied to the clothing industry to produce a full yardstick garment that can be adapted to human body size, "thus improving the comfort of clothing such as beer shops or sportswear.".

"Energy absorbing devices are another application that could lead to the design of more comfortable protective equipment," Cera added

Major issues

He explained to design news that due to the rearrangement of keratin secondary structure, keratin has inherent shape memory properties, "more specifically, it is derived from α The spiral turns into β Folded ".

"This transition may occur under load and trigger in the presence of water," Cera explained "We have designed this material in such a way that it retains the natural fibrils and layered structure of keratin to organize in an anisotropic manner over all length ranges α Spirals and allows the appearance of shape memory mechanisms. "

To demonstrate this process, the researchers printed keratin sheets of various shapes in 3D and programmed the permanent shapes of the materials using hydrogen peroxide and sodium phosphate solutions. This is the shape the material will always return to after removing the stimulus that changes it.

After setting up the memory, the researchers found that they could reprogram the sheet and shape it into a new shape.

One test the researchers performed was to fold a sheet of keratin into a complex origami star as its permanent shape. They then immerse the star in water, expand it and create ductility, roll it into tight tubes, and then dry it into a stable shape. Then they put the tube back in water to reverse the process, unfolding it and folding it dynamically into origami stars.

The team published a paper on its work in the journal natural materials.

Future applications

Parker told us that researchers are currently discussing with sportswear manufacturers how to apply the material to fashion.

"There are many applications in clothing that can adapt to the various environments that these sustainable, intelligent materials can achieve," he told design news

Parked added that other applications of materials the team is looking at are in cardiovascular regenerative medicine.

From a materials engineering perspective, researchers plan to extend the responsiveness of shape memory systems from water to other triggers, such as light, heat or chemical messengers, Cera told us.

He told Design News: "our future research work will also focus on more specific applications in textile and tissue engineering, and realize fully functional equipment based on our shape memory technology."