4D printing of multi-state pH-responsive microstructures

DOI

Deep eutectic systems (DESs) are emerging as highly versatile functional materials for 3D printing, particularly in multiphoton 3D laser printing (MPLP), a powerful technique for the fabrication of complex microstructures with high spatial resolution. Here, we present a versatile strategy for the fabrication of multi-state pH-responsive microactuators based on polymerizable DESs using MPLP. By incorporating vinyl phosphonic acid and vinyl imidazole as functional monomers, respectively, we establish two actively responsive DESs that exhibit antagonistic swelling behavior across the pH range while maintaining excellent printability. The printed 3D microstructures show pronounced and reversible pH-responsive actuation with high cycling stability. Combining both materials within single architectures enables multi-state and bidirectional actuation beyond conventional bilayer systems. Complex actuator geometries further demonstrate the versatility of the platform. A hyperelastic theory implemented in a finite element framework can predict the experimentally observed actuation patterns. These results highlight the potential of polymerizable DESs as a new material platform for advanced microscale soft robotic, sensing, and adaptive systems.

Identifier
DOI https://doi.org/10.11588/DATA/JMYN9Z
Metadata Access https://heidata.uni-heidelberg.de/oai?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_datacite&identifier=doi:10.11588/DATA/JMYN9Z
Provenance
Creator Tran, Hoang Bao Duc ORCID logo; Mainik, Philipp; Gomez Melo, Santiago; Schwarz, Ulrich S.; Spiegel, Christoph A. ORCID logo; Blasco, Eva ORCID logo
Publisher heiDATA
Contributor Blasco, Eva; heiDATA: Heidelberg Research Data Repository
Publication Year 2026
Funding Reference Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft (DFG): SPP 2206 – DFG Priority program “Cooperative Multistage Multistable Microactuator Systems” BL1604/5-2 ; Excellence Cluster “3D Matter Made to Order” EXC-2082/2-390761711 ; Carl-Zeiss-Foundation: Focus@HEiKA
Rights CC BY 4.0; info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
OpenAccess true
Contact Blasco, Eva (Heidelberg University, Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM))
Representation
Resource Type Dataset
Format application/zip; text/plain
Size 124602614; 1987
Version 1.0
Discipline Chemistry; Natural Sciences; Polymer Materials; Polymer Research