Advanced Functional Materials, Vol.25, No.14, 2129-2137, 2015
Contrast Agent Incorporation into Silicone Enables Real-Time Flow-Structure Analysis of Mammalian Vein-Inspired Soft Pumps
The construction of machines consisting essentially of soft parts is a nascent and multidisciplinary research field between material science, machine engineering, and robotics. Soft silicones represent a promising class of materials for the creation of a vast multitude of biologically inspired entities. In the present work, a new type of mammalian vein-inspired soft silicone pump is introduced and characterized, which is fabricated by virtual lost-wax casting of 3D-printed injection molds. These pumps can be actuated pneumatically or by internal gas combustion and preserve their functionality even after a freezing/unfreezing cycle. The possibility of using medical examination methods such as ultrasonic imaging to directly access flow information inside soft pumps is shown. Based on soda lime glass microspheres, a method is demonstrated to enhance contrast properties during such color online Doppler imaging for a detailed understanding of the inner fluid-structure interactions.