2026-04-29 ハーバード大学
＜関連情報＞
- https://seas.harvard.edu/news/toward-artificial-muscles-bend-and-twist-demand
- https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2537250123
プログラム可能な形状変化を備えたアクティブ・パッシブフィラメントおよび格子構造の回転式3Dプリント Rotational 3D printing of active–passive filaments and lattices with programmable shape morphing
Mustafa K. Abdelrahman, Jackson K. Wilt, Yeonsu Jung, +5 , and Jennifer A. Lewis
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Published:April 22, 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2537250123
Significance
Natural filaments have exceptional control over curvature and twist enabled by directional responses embedded within their internal structure. To emulate this complex behavior, we use rotational multimaterial 3D printing (RM-3DP) to create composite fibers composed of active liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and passive elastomers. By controlling the rotation rate on-the-fly during printing, one can fabricate Janus filaments and lattices with spatially programmable composition, alignment, and shape-morphing behavior, including reversible bending, coiling, and twisting when thermally cycled above and below their nematic-to-isotropic transition temperature. A theoretical and computational framework corroborates our experimental findings and paves the way for a quantitative framework to understand and design shape-morphing filaments and lattices.
Abstract
Natural filaments, such as proteins, plant tendrils, octopus tentacles, and elephant trunks, can transform into arbitrary three-dimensional shapes that carry out vital functions. Their shape-morphing behavior arises from intricate patterning of active and passive regions, which are difficult to replicate in synthetic matter. Here, we introduce a filament-centric strategy for programmable shape morphing in which intrinsic curvature and twist are directly encoded within multimaterial elastomeric filaments during fabrication. By harnessing rotational multimaterial 3D printing, we directly prescribe the filament’s natural curvature–twist field κ(s) through controlled material distribution and helical liquid crystal mesogen alignment. When heated above their nematic-to-isotropic transition temperature (TNI), the helically aligned liquid crystal elastomer regions contract along their local director field, while passive regions remain essentially unchanged. This approach enables independent control of bending and torsion at every cross-section along the filament centerline: the principal natural curvatures of the filament along two orthogonal axes as well as the local twist. Next, we printed architected lattices composed of unit cells formed by sinusoidal filaments that either reversibly contract, expand, or exhibit out-of-plane deformations. Discrete elastic rod simulations of Janus filaments with different natural curvatures and twist, which are interconnected within the printed lattices, allow accurate prediction of their observed shape-morphing behavior. By integrating active–passive elastomers, additive manufacturing, and computational modeling, we have created shape-morphing matter with complex programmable responses for applications that rely on adaptive, robotic, or deployable architectures.
