Digital Multiphase Composites via Additive Manufacturing.

Mechanical properties of traditional engineering materials are typically coupled to each other, presenting a challenge to practitioners with multi-dimensional material property requirements. In this work we demonstrate continuous, independent control over multiple mechanical properties in composite materials realized using additive manufacturing. For the first time, we experimentally characterize composites additively manufactured from rigid plastic, soft elastomer, and liquid constituents, demonstrating materials which span four orders of magnitude in modulus and two orders of magnitude in toughness. By forming analytical mappings between relative concentrations of constituents at the microscale and resulting macroscale material properties, we enable inverse material design; we showcase the method by printing artifacts with prescribed toughness and elasticity distributions. We place the properties of these composites in the context of biological tissues, showing they have promise as mechanically plausible tissue mimics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.