A new method for complex metallic architecture fabrication is presented, through synthesis and 3D‐printing of a new class of 3D‐inks into green‐body structures followed by thermochemical transformation into sintered metallic counterparts. Small and large volumes of metal‐oxide, metal, and metal compound 3D‐printable inks are synthesized through simple mixing of solvent, powder, and the biomedical elastomer, polylactic‐co‐glycolic acid (PLGA). These inks can be 3D‐printed under ambient conditions via simple extrusion at speeds upwards of 150 mm s–1 into millimeter‐ and centimeter‐scale thin, thick, high aspect ratio, hollow and enclosed, and multi‐material architectures. The resulting 3D‐printed green‐bodies can be handled immediately, are remarkably robust, and may be further manipulated prior to metallic transformation. Green‐bodies are transformed into metallic counterparts without warping or cracking through reduction and sintering in a H2 atmosphere at elevated temperatures. It is shown that primary metal and binary alloy structures can be created from inks comprised of single and mixed oxide powders, and the versatility of the process is illustrated through its extension to more than two dozen additional metal‐based materials. A potential application of this new system is briefly demonstrated through cyclic reduction and oxidation of 3D‐printed iron oxide constructs, which remain intact through numerous redox cycles.

Porosity plays an essential role in the performance and function of biomaterials, tissue engineering, and clinical medicine. For the same material chemistry, the level of porosity can dictate if it is cell, tissue, or organ friendly; with low porosity materials being far less favorable than high porosity materials. Despite its importance, it has been difficult to create three-dimensionally printed structures that are comprised of materials that have extremely high levels of internal porosity yet are surgically friendly (able to handle and utilize during surgical operations). In this work, we extend a new materials-centric approach to 3D-printing, 3D-Painting, to 3D-printing structures made almost entirely out of water-soluble salt. The structures are then washed in a specific way that not only extracts the salt but causes the structures to increase in size. With the salt removed, the resulting medical polymer structures are almost entirely porous and contain very little solid material, but the maintain their 3D-printed form and are highly compatible with adult human stem cells, are mechanically robust enough to use in surgical manipulations, and can be filled with and act as carriers for biologically active liquids and gels. We can also extend this process to three-dimensionally printing other porous materials, such as graphene, metals, and even ceramics.

Whereas the rigid nature of standard thermoelectrics limits their use, flexible thermoelectric platforms can find much broader applications, for example, in low-power, wearable energy harvesting for internet-of-things applications. Here we realize continuous, flexible thermoelectric threads via a rapid extrusion of 3D-printable composite inks (Bi2Te3 n- or p-type micrograins within a non-conducting polymer as a binder) followed by compression through a roller-pair, and we demonstrate their applications in flexible, low-power energy harvesting. The thermoelectric power factors of these threads are enhanced up to 7 orders-of-magnitude after lateral compression, principally due to improved conductivity resulting from reduced void volume fraction and partial alignment of thermoelectric micrograins. This dependence is quantified using a conductivity/Seebeck vise for pressure-controlled studies. The resulting grain-to-grain conductivity is well explained with a modified percolation theory to model a pressure-dependent conductivity. Flexible thermoelectric modules are demonstrated to utilize thermal gradients either parallel or transverse to the thread direction.

Here, we present a comprehensive approach for creating robust, elastic, designer Lunar and Martian regolith simulant (LRS and MRS, respectively) architectures using ambient condition, extrusion-based 3D-printing of regolith simulant inks. The LRS and MRS powders are characterized by distinct, highly inhomogeneous morphologies and sizes, where LRS powder particles are highly irregular and jagged and MRS powder particles are rough, but primarily rounded. The inks are synthesized via simple mixing of evaporant, surfactant, and plasticizer solvents, polylactic-co-glycolic acid (30% by solids volume), and regolith simulant powders (70% by solids volume). Both LRS and MRS inks exhibit similar rheological and 3D-printing characteristics, and can be 3D-printed at linear deposition rates of 1–150 mm/s using 300 μm to 1.4 cm-diameter nozzles. The resulting LRS and MRS 3D-printed materials exhibit similar, but distinct internal and external microstructures and material porosity (~20–40%). These microstructures contribute to the rubber-like quasi-static and cyclic mechanical properties of both materials, with young’s moduli ranging from 1.8 to 13.2 MPa and extension to failure exceeding 250% over a range of strain rates (10–1−102 min−1). Finally, we discuss the potential for LRS and MRS ink components to be reclaimed and recycled, as well as be synthesized in resource-limited, extraterrestrial environments.