Professor Shi Xinyan from Qingdao University of Science and Technology: 3D Printing Functional Materials: Extreme Mechanical Performance Regulation from Hydrogels to Engineering Plastics

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October 18, 2025 Materials 164

Source: EFL Bioprinting and Biofabrication

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), as an important component of functional materials, possesses excellent mechanical properties due to hydrogen bonding and high crystallinity. Although methods such as double-network structures and nanocomposites have enhanced the mechanical properties of PVA hydrogels, challenges remain in achieving extreme regulation of mechanical performance from hydrogels to engineering plastics, as well as integrating multiple functionalities such as shape memory, adhesion, and free-design 3D printability.

Inspired by the brittle-tough transition of the Discinisca tenuis shell, a research team led by Professor Shi Xinyan from Qingdao University of Science and Technology and Professor Wang Xiaolong from the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a 3D printable PVA/acrylamide material. By simply controlling the hydration and dehydration processes, in-situ continuous tuning of mechanical properties across several orders of magnitude has been achieved. The related work has been published in Chemical Engineering Journal under the title "3D printing functional materials with extreme regulation of mechanical performances from hydrogel to engineering plastic."

Research Highlights:

Material Design and Preparation: Inspired by seashells, a 3D printable PVA/AAm material was developed, enabling performance transformation through hydration/dehydration-controlled hydrogen bonding.

Mechanical Performance Regulation: Tensile strength tunable from 0.02 MPa to 104.58 MPa, and modulus tunable from 0.002 MPa to 592 MPa, achieving reversible adjustment across orders of magnitude with good cyclic stability.

Multifunctional Characteristics: Exhibits dual reversible shape memory, adhesion, and electrical conductivity, applicable for flexible sensors and 3D printed complex structures.

Application Innovation: Integrates flexible sensing and rigid fixation into intelligent systems, addressing the conflict between sensitivity and rigidity in joint dislocation repair.

Research Significance: Provides a strategy for developing functional materials with extremely tunable mechanical properties, promoting applications in medical engineering, smart sensors, and other fields.

Link to the article:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.162310