Soft materials breakthrough from CUHK

Jamie Liu

A joint research team at Chinese University of Hong Kong has developed an innovative inverse programming technology that shapes and alters the surface of soft materials using magnetic forces.

The breakthrough opens new application possibilities in various fields, including precision medical technology, biomimetic soft robots and information storage.

The CUHK team first prepared a hydrogel material infused with magnetic particles, which can be "3D-printed" using light.

By precisely adjusting the intensity distribution of the light source, guided by computers, the material transforms into a target 3D shape.

Afterward, the researchers magnetized the deformed soft material, creating a 3D magnetization distribution that enables it to adopt different shapes under the influence of an external magnetic field.

This strategy significantly simplifies the process while enhancing the precision and efficiency of programming magnetic soft materials.

Lead researcher Zhang Li, a professor in CUHK's Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, anticipates that the technology will facilitate targeted treatments, particularly in the intestine, which features numerous wrinkled structures.

"This technology is expected to assist medical professionals in customizing patches to fit the specific morphology of a patient's gastrointestinal tract, ensuring a conformal fit on the affected organ's surface for improved treatment efficacy," Li said.

Researcher Xia Neng, first author of the research paper, said the technology also has potential applications in human face replication, information storage and the development of biomimetic soft robots.

The research team collaborated with scholars from the Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) and the University of Science and Technology of China.

The findings have been published in the internationally renowned journal Nature Synthesis.

jamie.liu@singtaonewscorp.com