Multimaterial 3d-printing with functional fiber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11260586-B2
Application number	US-201715816964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2017
Priority date	Nov 18, 2016
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

In a method for printing a three dimensional structure, a continuous length of fiber that includes, interior to a surface of the fiber, a plurality of different materials arranged as an in-fiber functional domain, with at least two electrical conductors disposed in the functional domain in electrical contact with at least one functional domain material, is dispensed through a single heated nozzle. After sections of the length of fiber are dispensed from the heated nozzle, the sections are fused together in an arrangement of a three dimensional structure. The structure can thereby include a continuous length of fiber of least three different materials arranged as an in-fiber functional device, with the continuous length of fiber disposed as a plurality of fiber sections that are each in a state of material fusion with another fiber section in a spatial arrangement of the structure.

First claim

We claim:

1. A structure comprising:
a continuous length of fiber;
said continuous length of fiber including:
an interior functional domain comprising a plurality of different materials, the different materials arranged as at least one in-fiber functional component, and at least two electrical conductors, each electrical conductor disposed in electrical contact with a material in the functional domain;
a cladding material encapsulating said at least one in-fiber functional component and said electrical conductors, along said continuous length of fiber, the cladding material having a cladding glass transition temperature; and
a fusion domain circumferentially surrounding the encapsulated interior functional domain and comprising a polymer fusion domain material different than said cladding material and having a fusion domain glass transition temperature, said cladding glass transition temperature being at least about 50° C. greater than said fusion domain glass transition temperature and said polymer fusion domain material having a 3D-print critical temperature, T crit , above which polymer chains of the polymer fusion domain material interdiffuse, said 3D-print critical temperature, T crit , being less than said cladding glass transition temperature; and

said continuous length of fiber being disposed as a plurality of fiber sections in a spatial arrangement in which said fusion domain of each said fiber section is in a state of material fusion having polymer chain interdiffusion with said fusion domain of another said fiber section.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said continuous length of fiber comprises at least three different materials and wherein said fusion domain comprises a Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC).

3. The structure of claim 1 further comprising external electrical connections to said electrical conductors.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein each of said at least two electrical conductors comprise a conducting material selected from copper, tungsten, gold, silver, tin, aluminium, cadmium-copper, zirconium-copper, nickel-copper, a tin-lead alloy, electrically conducting polyethylene, and electrically conducting polycarbonate.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein said continuous length of fiber comprises at least one semiconducting material.

6. The structure of claim 1 wherein said continuous length of fiber comprises at least one semiconducting material selected from the group consisting of silicon and germanium.

7. The structure of claim 1 wherein said spatial arrangement comprises said plurality of fiber sections arranged as structural walls.

8. The structure of claim 1 wherein said spatial arrangement comprises said plurality of fiber sections arranged as a bulk structural material.

9. The structure of claim 1 wherein said spatial arrangement comprises a layered stack of a plurality of fiber sections.

10. The structure of claim 1 wherein said spatial arrangement comprises a layered stack of a plurality of fiber sections disposed as structural walls.

11. A structure comprising:
a continuous length of fiber;
said continuous length of fiber comprising:
a plurality of different materials, including an inorganic microelectronic material, arranged as an in-fiber functional domain comprising a sequence of discrete pixels, and at least two electrical conductors, each electrical conductor disposed in electrical contact with a material in the functional domain;
a cladding material encapsulating said sequence of discrete pixels and said electrical conductors, along said continuous length of fiber, the cladding material having a cladding glass transition temperature; and
a fusion domain circumferentially surrounding the encapsulated interior functional domain and comprising a polymer fusion domain material different than said cladding material and having a fusion domain glass transition temperature, said cladding glass transition temperature being at least about 50° C. greater than said fusion domain glass transition temperature and said polymer fusion domain material having a 3D-print critical temperature, T crit , above which polymer chains of the polymer fusion domain material interdiffuse, said 3D-print critical temperature, T crit , being less than said cladding glass transition temperature; and

said continuous length of fiber being disposed as a plurality of fiber sections in a non-planar spatial arrangement in which each said fiber section is in a state of material fusion having polymer chain interdiffusion with another said fiber section.

12. The structure of claim 1 wherein said at least one in-fiber functional component comprises a sequence of spatially separated functional sensing elements and wherein said spatial arrangement comprises spatially separated functional sensing elements.

13. The structure of claim 1 wherein said continuous length of fiber includes a sequence of spatially separated functional particles and wherein said spatial arrangement comprises spatially separated particles.

14. The structure of claim 1 wherein said continuous length of fiber includes a light emitting in-fiber functional domain along the continuous length of fiber, and wherein said spatial arrangement comprises at least one light emitting path.

15. The structure of claim 1 wherein said continuous length of fiber includes an electroluminescent in-fiber domain along the continuous length of fiber, and wherein said spatial arrangement comprises an electroluminescent display.

16. The structure of claim 15 wherein said electroluminescent domain includes a phosphor material selected from the group consisting of Cu-doped ZnS, yittrium aluminium garnet (YAG), manganese, aluminium, doped zinc-cadmium-sulphide (ZnCdS), and doped zinc-cadmium-sulfur-selenide (ZnCdSSe).

17. A structure comprising:
a continuous length of fiber;
said continuous length of fiber comprising:
a plurality of different materials arranged as an in-fiber functional domain along the continuous length of fiber, and at least two electrical conductors, each electrical conductor disposed in electrical contact with a material in the functional domain;
said functional domain arranged as an electrical battery in-fiber domain along the continuous length of fiber, said electrical battery in-fiber domain including an anode material selected from Li 2 TiO 3 , lithium, a tin-based metal alloy, graphite, and silicon nanoparticles, a cathode material selected from LiMn 2 O 4 , LiTi 2 O 4 , LiV 2 O 4 , and LiFePO 4 , and an ionically conductive porous polymer domain separating the anode material from the cathode material within the functional domain;
a cladding material encapsulating said functional domain along said continuous length of fiber, the cladding material having a cladding glass transition temperature; and
a fusion domain circumferentially surrounding the encapsulated interior functional domain and comprising a polymer fusion domain material different than said cladding material and having a fusion domain glass transition temperature, said cladding glass transition temperature being at least about 50° C. greater than said fusion domain glass transition temperature and said polymer fusion domain material having a 3D-print critical temperature, T crit , above which polymer chains of the polymer fusion domain material interdiffuse, said 3D-print critical temperature, T crit , being less than said cladding glass transition temperature; and

said continuous length of fiber being disposed as a plurality of fiber sections in a spatial arrangement in which each said fiber section is in a state of materia

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Fink Yoel
• Loke Gabriel Zi Jie
• Yuan Rodger

Classifications

• H10F77/50

  Encapsulations or containers (for photovoltaic modules H10F19/80) · CPC title

• H10F77/12

  Active materials · CPC title

• H05B33/10

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources · CPC title

• H01B13/0016

  for heat treatment · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title