Rheological responses of microgel suspensions with temperature-responsive capillary networks

A method coupling microgel jamming and temperature-responsive capillary networking is developed to manipulate the rheological properties of microgel-capillary suspensions by varying microgel sizes, volume fraction of capillary solution, and temperature after polymerization and photo-crosslinking. This approach allows for the 3D extrusion of this suspension to print complex structures that can be readily scaled up and applied to biomedical fields and soft material-based actuation. Tunable rheological responses are obtained by coupling temperature-responsive capillary networks with jammed microgels, which facilitate complex structures and scale-ups by 3D printing.