Benchmarking mechanical properties of 3D printed elastomeric microstructures
The characterization of mechanical properties in soft three-dimensional (3D) printed materials at the microscale remains a significant challenge due to the lack of standardized methodologies. To address this issue, a microscale nanoindentation protocol for elastomeric 3D printed microstructures is d...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Small Methods
Year: 2025, Pages: 1-10 |
| ISSN: | 2366-9608 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/smtd.202500432 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202500432 Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smtd.202500432 
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| Author Notes: | Or Eivgi, Clara Vazquez-Martel, Jaroslav Lukeš, and Eva Blasco |
| Summary: | The characterization of mechanical properties in soft three-dimensional (3D) printed materials at the microscale remains a significant challenge due to the lack of standardized methodologies. To address this issue, a microscale nanoindentation protocol for elastomeric 3D printed microstructures is developed, optimized, and benchmarked. Herein, a conospherical indenter tip (r = 10.26 µm), a modified trapezoidal displacement profile with lift-off segments to capture adhesion interactions, and the nano-Johnson-Kendall-Roberts model for data analysis are employed. The protocol is optimized and verified using four newly developed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based inks for two-photon 3D laser printing. The results are compared to a state-of-the-art literature protocol that uses a Berkovich tip and the Oliver-Pharr model. It is shown that adhesion forces play a significant role in mechanical properties overestimation, showing differences of up to 80% between the different protocols. This study highlights the importance of carefully selecting characterization protocol to yield comparable results between studies. By providing a standardized protocol, it paves the way for straightforward and accurate characterization of mechanical properties in soft 3D printed materials at the microscale. |
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| Item Description: | Zuerst veröffentlicht: 12. Juni 2025 Gesehen am 16.10.2025 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 2366-9608 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/smtd.202500432 |