Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.
Nat Commun. 2023 Oct 14;14(1):6477. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-41740-6.
Bionic multifunctional structural materials that are lightweight, strong, and perceptible have shown great promise in sports, medicine, and aerospace applications. However, smart monitoring devices with integrated mechanical protection and piezoelectric induction are limited. Herein, we report a strategy to grow the recyclable and healable piezoelectric Rochelle salt crystals in 3D-printed cuttlebone-inspired structures to form a new composite for reinforcement smart monitoring devices. In addition to its remarkable mechanical and piezoelectric performance, the growth mechanisms, the recyclability, the sensitivity, and repairability of the 3D-printed Rochelle salt cuttlebone composite were studied. Furthermore, the versatility of composite has been explored and applied as smart sensor armor for football players and fall alarm knee pads, focusing on incorporated mechanical reinforcement and electrical self-sensing capabilities with data collection of the magnitude and distribution of impact forces, which offers new ideas for the design of next-generation smart monitoring electronics in sports, military, aerospace, and biomedical engineering.
仿生多功能结构材料具有轻质、高强、可感知等特点，在运动、医学和航空航天等领域有很大的应用前景。然而，具有集成机械保护和压电感应的智能监测设备却受到限制。在此，我们报告了一种在 3D 打印墨鱼骨启发结构中生长可回收和可修复的压电罗谢尔盐晶体的策略，以形成一种用于增强智能监测设备的新型复合材料。除了其显著的机械和压电性能外，还研究了 3D 打印罗谢尔盐墨鱼骨复合材料的生长机制、可回收性、灵敏度和可修复性。此外，还探索了复合材料的多功能性，并将其用作足球运动员和防跌倒报警护膝的智能传感器装甲，重点是结合机械增强和电自感能力，以及收集冲击力的大小和分布数据，为运动、军事、航空航天和生物医学工程中下一代智能监测电子设备的设计提供了新的思路。
