Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology can be used to fabricate layer-by-layer regular porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structures with excellent superhydrophobic ability and mechanical stability. However, for engineering applications, the design must consider the structure and superhydrophobicity of the resulting material. In this study, we propose an approach to regulate the mechanical properties of PDMS by adjusting the layered pattern, such as by changing filament orientation with 30°, 45°, and 90° angle steps and using staggered structures with a half-shifted spacing. A finite element analysis was conducted to investigate how the layered pattern influenced the tensile and compressive properties. The results reveal that a layered, staggered design can modulate the compressive properties of the porous PDMS, particularly the ratio between the compressive moduli of the sample without and with staggered structures could reach as high as 686% when the layering angle is 0°/90°. The tensile properties are better regulated by the filament angle rather than by the staggered design and improve as the raster angle of the filaments increases. This occurs when the upper and lower filaments tend toward orthogonality. Thus, the required layered pattern can be selected, enabling the integrated design of mechanical properties and function in 3D-printed porous PDMS.