Magnetically Responsive Inks for 3D-Printed Devices

3D printing technology has gained significant traction in different fields because of its potential to revolutionize how objects are manufactured. However, the development of multifunctional 3D-printed devices, especially those with magnetic properties, has been a challenge because traditional materials used in 3D printing don't usually have magnetic properties. Therefore, there is a growing need for materials and methods that will enable the creation of 3D-printed magnetic components. Current approaches in the field of 3D printing involve the use of standard materials like plastics and metals, which, although versatile, do not exhibit magnetic properties. Therefore, these materials do not fulfill the growing demand for magnetic components in sectors like electronics, robotics, and healthcare. The absence of a convenient and efficient method to incorporate magnetic properties into 3D-printed objects is a significant gap that current approaches are unable to fill.

Technology Description

The technology is a 3-D printed device that consists of one or more structures that encompass a multitude of magnetically responsive particles as well as one or more diblock or triblock copolymers. The copolymers have an A-B, A-B-A, or A-B-C block-type structure in which the A-blocks and C-blocks are an aromatic-based polymer or an acrylate-based polymer, and the B-blocks are an aliphatic-based polymer. These structures are created through a specialized 3D solvent cast printing process that uses a magnetic ink composition. The uniqueness of this technology stems from the printing method that introduces a magnetic ink composition to a substrate to form one or more structures, which are then dried. As a result, these dried structures possess regions of magnetic permeability greater than 1.3×10−6 H/m. This characteristic sets this device apart from other 3D-printed devices.