Home Research & Education Progress with 3D-printed ionogels: Sensing technology for extreme conditions

Progress with 3D-printed ionogels: Sensing technology for extreme conditions

A research team at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) led by Professor Qi Ge has developed UV-curable ionogels that can be produced by digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing. These ionogels are characterized by a unique combination of high conductivity, mechanical strength and thermal stability and are particularly suitable for the production of capacitive sensors. The results of the research were recently published in the journal Nature Communications.

The central feature of these ionogels is a bicontinuous nanostructure, which is produced by photopolymerization-induced microphase separation. In this structure, conductive nano-channels form a network with a cross-linked polymeric scaffold, which enables efficient ion conduction without compromising mechanical stability or compressive strength. The ionogels offer a high ionic conductivity of more than 3 S/m, an extensibility of more than 1500 percent and are stable in a wide temperature range from -72 to 250 °C.

Thanks to their low viscosity and high photochemical reactivity, the ionogels can be processed precisely with DLP 3D printers. This enables the production of complex geometric structures with high resolution. One example is an Octet-Truss structure that exhibits high conductivity and deformability at both -30 °C and 100 °C. Such structures offer potential for electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDL) and capacitive sensors with increased sensitivity and linear pressure behavior.

The 3D-printed sensors show excellent performance such as fast response times, stability over many cycles and reliable function in extreme temperature ranges. They have already been integrated into a robotic gripper that can detect signals in the range from -30 °C to 150 °C. In addition, a pressure sensor matrix with 16 sensors has been developed that can create high-resolution pressure maps in real time. The research marks an important step in the development of ionogels for versatile applications in robotics and sensor technology.


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