Recent progress in acoustic field-assisted 3D-printing of functional composite materials

Acoustic forces are an attractive pathway to achieve directed assembly for multi-phase materials via additive processes. Programmatic integration of microstructure and structural features during deposition offers opportunities for optimizing printed component performance. We detail recent efforts to integrate acoustic focusing with a direct-ink-write mode of printing to modulate material transport properties (e.g., conductivity). Acoustic field-assisted printing, operating under a multi-node focusing condition, supports deposition of materials with multiple focused lines in a single-pass printed line. Here, we report the demonstration of acoustic focusing in concert with diffusive self-assembly to rapidly assembly and print multiscale, mm-length colloidal solids on a timescale of seconds to minutes. These efforts support the promising capabilities of acoustic field-assisted deposition-based printing to achieve spatial control of printed microstructures with deterministic, long-range ordering across multiple length scales.

Automated summary

Acoustic forces offer a promising pathway for directed assembly of multi-phase materials via additive processes. Integration of acoustic focusing with direct-ink-write printing allows for modulating material transport properties and achieving long-range ordering of microstructures in printed components. Efforts in acoustic field-assisted printing have demonstrated the capability to rapidly assemble and print colloidal solids with spatial control across multiple length scales.