Enhanced buoyancy and propulsion in 3D printed swimming micro-robots based on a hydrophobic nano-fibrillated cellulose aerogel and porous lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

This paper provides the first demonstration of additively manufactured swimming micro-robots which combine a hydrophobic nanofibrillated cellulose aerogel, to provide long-term buoyancy, with a low acoustic impedance porous piezoelectric ceramic for improved propulsion. The hydrophobic nanocellulose aerogel is shown to exhibit a high and stable contact angle that was maintained for extended periods of time, which facilitates long-term and stable buoyancy of the micro-robot. To quantify the benefits of introducing porosity into the active piezoelectric element, a new analysis model was developed to inform material design and maximize the acoustic propulsion force. Detailed characterisation and modelling of the swimming robots demonstrated that a swimming robot based on a lead-free porous Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 (BCZT) ceramic exhibited a higher acoustic radiation propulsion force and a faster swimming speed compared to a robot fabricated using a dense ceramic element. These benefits were associated with the lower elastic modulus, density and acoustic impedance of the porous piezoelectric material. The lower dielectric constant, reduced device capacitance, and lower resonant frequency of the porous piezoelectric element also significantly reduced the driving current and power requirements of the robot. This work therefore provides new insights on the impact of hydrophobic and acoustically matched piezoelectric materials on the performance of swimming micro-robots, and successfully demonstrates the use of porosity to improve acoustic impedance matching of resonant piezoelectric devices, such as micro-robots and ultrasonic transducers.