Work

Micrometer-scale poly(ethylene glycol) with enhanced mechanical performance

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Strong and lightweight materials are highly desired. Here we report the emergence of a compressive strength exceeding 2 GPa in a directly printed poly(ethylene glycol) micropillar. This strong and highly crosslinked micropillar is not brittle, instead, it behaves like rubber under compression. Experimental results show that the micropillar sustains a strain approaching 70%, absorbs energy up to 310 MJ/m3, and displays an almost 100% recovery after cyclic loading. Simple micro-lattices (e.g., honeycombs) of poly(ethylene glycol) also display high strength at low structural densities. By combining a series of control experiments, computational simulations and in situ characterization, we find that the key to achieving such mechanical performance lies in the fabrication of a highly homogeneous structure with suppressed defect formation. Our discovery unveils a generalizable approach for achieving a performance leap in polymeric materials and provides a complementary approach to enhance the mechanical performance of low-density latticed structures. Optimizing mechanical performance for polymer materials is frequently challenging, often require complex methods. Here the authors design an poly(ethylene glycol) material with enhanced mechanical properties by laser printing a micropillar and honeycomb micro-lattice.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59742-x