"An experimental researcher should fail systematically to understand what doesn't work. That means persistent testing and curiosity in discovering new solutions," says Post-doctoral Researcher Ville Laitinen.
Laitinen is developing new ways to manufacture smart materials that can change shape under the influence of a magnetic field. These magnetic shape memory alloys (MSM alloys) can be used to create components for biomedical micropumps, robotics, and valves.
MSM alloys can change their shape and produce strain and motion when exposed to a magnetic field.
"Our results are cutting-edge: we are the first in the world to fabricate functional MSM structures using 4D printing. Together with our international partners, our research group is currently among the global leaders in this field," Laitinen explains.
Laitinen continues the pioneering work of LUT physics professor Kari Ullakko, who developed magnetic shape memory alloys in the 1990s at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
"If you’ve seen the Terminator movies, you get an idea of what we’re doing. We’ve even shown clips from those films during conference presentations and lectures. While the shape-shifting T-1000 Terminators are science fiction, they capture the goal of MSM development well: to replace traditional complex mechanical assemblies with intelligent materials in small motion-generating devices," Laitinen says.
A rare honor: an invitation to Young Academy Finland
Laitinen was recently invited to join Young Academy Finland, becoming the fourth LUT-affiliated researcher to receive the honor. Young Academy Finland is a community of early-career researchers who aim to strengthen the role of science in society.
"This is an exciting opportunity. I get to network with researchers from various disciplines and hopefully gain new perspectives for my own work. Membership also offers a great chance to collaborate with others to advance science and increase its societal impact."
Laitinen approaches the honor with humility. In his view, a researcher is always "on duty" – the mind is almost constantly working on the problem at hand.
"If someone is considering this field, they should study the fundamentals of natural sciences thoroughly, preferably already in high school. A solid grasp of math, chemistry, and physics provides a strong foundation for an entire career."
"The laws of natural science do not usually change over time."
Manual skills are also valuable in materials research. In his free time, Laitinen makes knives, jewelry, and hiking gear. Since research often involves long hours at a computer, maintaining fine motor skills through hands-on hobbies is important. These hobbies also support work–life balance and post-work recharging.
"All members of our research team work in the lab – applied physics research doesn't happen solely in front of a computer. Experimental research is an excellent way to deeply understand phenomena, learn new things, and figure out how things are actually done."
Laitinen’s MSM research
- Laitinen’s research team working with 4D printing includes Doctoral Student Meysam Norouzi Inallu and Professor Kari Ullakko.
- The research has been primarily funded by the Research Council of Finland (projects and strategic research funding), and internally by LUT’s AMBI research platform. International partners have supported the work through their own funding sources (e.g., EU, DSTL).
- The team collaborates internationally with the University of Birmingham (UK), the University of Pittsburgh (USA), University College London (UK), and the Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland), among others.
- Laitinen dreams of developing a fully 4D-printed MSM-based microdevice in which the actuator, frame, sensors, and control electronics—including coils or electromagnets—are manufactured as a single integrated unit. The goal is to create a truly integrated, intelligent, and ready-to-use structure in one manufacturing process.
Smart use of critical materials
Traditional single-crystal MSM elements already have some industrial applications, but for 4D-printed devices, we’re still about a decade away. Laitinen expects the first 4D-printed MSM applications to be individual, research-oriented devices or demonstrators, most likely in the field of robotics.
"The choice of application is crucial: for example, in medicine, if you want your device to reach widespread use, you need solid evidence of its functionality, which requires significant financial investments. The powder alone costs €10,000 per kilo, which easily excludes smaller players from the race," Laitinen explains.
If an industrial manufacturer were secured, the price could drop to €40–80 per kilo.
Access to raw materials is a particular challenge for MSM technology. For example, nickel, manganese, gallium, and certain platinum group metals used in MSM production are on the EU's critical materials list, meaning their availability may be limited and supply chains vulnerable in the future.
Moreover, MSM alloy production requires extremely pure raw materials (up to 7N grade), which increases both energy consumption and the carbon footprint. This is why the development of new MSM alloys is a highly active and internationally popular research field.
"From an application perspective, MSM materials are energy-efficient: they only consume electricity momentarily during activation, not continuously."
Sustainability can be significantly improved by optimizing both material use and manufacturing processes – for example, by replacing complex mechanical systems with a single actuator based on smart materials.
Additionally, 4D printing enables the production of complex structures without multi-step assembly and can reduce material waste, supporting the goals of sustainable manufacturing.
"In research use, we can recycle the same material for reprinting up to 3–8 times, depending a bit on the material and the final product."
"Of course, like with any invention, if this material becomes very popular, its environmental footprint will increase. We’re not there yet, but ethical considerations follow the researcher everywhere."
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