LAUSR

Abstract The sustained, independent advancements in additive manufacturing and magnetoelectric composites motivate the hybridization of these exciting technologies, as is the case in the current research study, leading to the fabrication of materials conducive to flexible and wearable electronic applications. The resulting additively manufactured composite materials exhibit tailorable mechanical, electrical, and magnetic properties by adjusting the ratios of the photopolymer framework, electroactive polymer, and magnetic particles. Moreover, the outcomes of this research exemplify the process-property-performance interrelationship, hence providing a pathway to realizing deployable magnetoelectric devices. Several resin versions were synthesized and used to print various geometries using the digital light projection approach, including neat photopolymer and photopolymer/polyvinylidene difluoride with and without magnetic particles. The addition of magnetic particles did not substantially affect the mechanical performance of the composites, contrary to the expected results based on the rules of mixture. The insensitivity of the mechanical performance to the addition of magnetite particles was attributed to agglomeration, where the particles acted as pores rather than enforcements. Remarkably, the addition of merely 2% by weight of polyvinylidene difluoride improved the mechanical and magnetic properties of the composite samples by increasing ductility by 25% and magnetization by >160% compared to their PVDF-free counterparts. PVDF chains acted as a suspended network, preventing particle settling during printing and improving the distribution of the magnetic particles within the samples. The outcomes of this research highlight the opportunities and challenges of additively manufacturing magnetoelectric composite materials using digital light projection while primarily emphasizing the tailorability of the mechano-electro-magnetic properties.