Hydrogel Laminate Adhesive Patterning for Shape Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a demand for a novel hydrogel structure whose shape is easy to control and a method to produce such a structure, as existing methods for creating complex three-dimensional shapes like biological tissues or dynamically changing structures are limited.
Innovation Solution
A laminate is created with a base member and a hydrogel layer, featuring an adhesive region and a non-adhesive region at their interface, where the hydrogel layer is formed using a stimuli-responsive material, and a method involving the patterning of adhesive functional groups, precursor solutions, and polymerization is used to control the shape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If 3D printing techniques are applied to hydrogels to create complex three-dimensional shapes, then the ability to produce biological tissue-like structures is improved, but the ease of shape control and manufacturing complexity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrogel structure is segmented into multiple layers with different adhesive properties. The laminate comprises a base member and a hydrogel layer with adhesive regions and non-adhesive regions, allowing complex 3D shapes to be achieved through layer stacking rather than complex printing processes
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the hydrogel layer have different adhesive qualities. By creating adhesive regions with specific adhesion strength and non-adhesive regions with release capability, the patent enables localized control over shape formation and assembly processes
2Ease of operation
If adhesive regions and non-adhesive regions are formed at the interface between base member and hydrogel layer, then the ease of shape control is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive functional groups are formed on the base member surface before hydrogel layer formation. This preliminary patterning of adhesive regions allows subsequent hydrogel layers to self-assemble in the desired configuration without requiring high-precision alignment during assembly
Solution Approach 2:
Adhesive functional groups act as intermediaries between the base member and hydrogel layer. These functional groups mediate the adhesion process, allowing controlled bonding in adhesive regions while maintaining release capability in non-adhesive regions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for a novel structure with easily controllable shape and a method to produce it, enabling the creation of complex shapes like tubular channels that can change in response to stimuli, such as pH or temperature.
Implementation Method 1
an adhesive region and a non-adhesive region are formed at an interface between the base member and the hydrogel layer, the adhesive region being a region where the base member and the hydrogel layer adhere to each other
Implementation Method 2
the forming material of the hydrogel layer may be a stimuli-responsive hydrogel
Data Source
AI summary
A laminate including a base member, and a hydrogel layer whose forming material is a hydrogel, the hydrogel layer being provided on a surface of the base member. An adhesive region and a non-adhesive region are formed at an interface between the base member and the hydrogel layer, the adhesive region being a region where the base member and the hydrogel layer adhere to each other, the non-adhesive region being a region where the base member and the hydrogel layer do not adhere to each other.