"Functional soft material 3D printing represents an advanced approach to processing and manufacturing soft materials, seamlessly integrating the design and development of functional soft materials with three-dimensional rapid prototyping technology. This innovative technique enables the creation of devices endowed with unique properties and customized functionalities. The focal point of this research is the exploration and development of novel soft materials tailored for 3D printing applications, including but not limited to silica gel, hydrogel, and liquid crystal.

The scope of our research encompasses various aspects, primarily revolving around the design of functional polymer structures, the formulation of printable soft material inks, and the utilization of diverse 3D printing technologies. These technologies encompass ink direct writing printing (DIW), digital light projection 3D molding technology (DLP), stereolithography molding technology (SLA), among others. The objective is to realize the design and manufacturing of functional soft devices with precision and efficiency.

Addressing the prevalent challenge of increasing device complexity correlating with more intricate processing procedures, our research team has developed a series of functional inks. These inks facilitate the integrated preparation of a diverse range of flexible functional devices. Leveraging multi-material 3D printing technology, we have achieved significant milestones in the creation of flexible functional devices tailored for applications in flexible bioelectronics (published in Advanced Functional Materials, 2023: 2314471; Advanced Materials, 2023, 35(45): 2302824; Nature Communications, 2023, 14(1): 245.), soft robotics (Nature Communications, 2022, 13(1): 4775.), bionic structures (Advanced Functional Materials, 2022, 32(34): 2113262.), and other specialized domains."