Piezoelectric characteristics of three-dimensional solid object of poly(L-lactide) fabricated by three-dimensional printing

Through three-dimensional (3D) printing, we attempted to fabricate 3D solid objects with piezoelectricity. By optimizing the conditions of 3D printing, we realized the fabrication of a piezoelectric object by 3D printing. In fact, we could produce a poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) object similar to a smart phone case fabricated by 3D printing, the molded body of which has button sensors at the desired sites by exploiting the piezoelectric properties of PLLA. Finally, we confirmed that the PLLA object behaved as a fully functional sensor. (C) 2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics