Additive manufacturing (AM) alias 3D printing translates computer-aided design (CAD) virtual 3D models into physical objects. By digital slicing of CAD, 3D scan, or tomography data, AM builds objects layer by layer without the need for molds or machining. AM enables decentralized fabrication of customized objects on demand by exploiting digital information storage and retrieval via the Internet. The ongoing transition from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing prompts new challenges for mechanical engineers and materials scientists alike. Because polymers are by far the most utilized class of materials for AM, this Review focuses on polymer processing and the development of polymers and advanced polymer systems specifically for AM. AM techniques covered include vat photopolymerization (stereolithography), powder bed fusion (SLS), material and binder jetting (inkjet and aerosol 3D printing), sheet lamination (LOM), extrusion (FDM, 3D dispensing, 3D fiber deposition, and 3D plotting), and 3D bioprinting....

Polymers for 3D Printing and Customized Additive Manufacturing

Two-photon excitation provides a means of activating chemical or physical processes with high spatial resolution in three dimensions and has made possible the development of three-dimensional fluorescence imaging, optical data storage, and lithographic microfabrication. These applications take advantage of the fact that the two-photon absorption probability depends quadratically on intensity, so under tight-focusing conditions, the absorption is confined at the focus to a volume of order λ3 (where λ is the laser wavelength). Any subsequent process, such as fluorescence or a photoinduced chemical reaction, is also localized in this small volume. Although three-dimensional data storage and microfabrication have been illustrated using two-photon-initiated polymerization of resins incorporating conventional ultraviolet-absorbing initiators, such photopolymer systems exhibit low photosensitivity as the initiators have small two-photon absorption cross-sections (δ). Consequently, this approach requires high laser power, and its widespread use remains impractical. Here we report on a class of π;-conjugated compounds that exhibit large δ (as high as 1, 250 × 10−50 cm4 s per photon) and enhanced two-photon sensitivity relative to ultraviolet initiators. Two-photon excitable resins based on these new initiators have been developed and used to demonstrate a scheme for three-dimensional data storage which permits fluorescent and refractive read-out, and the fabrication of three-dimensional micro-optical and micromechanical structures, including photonic-bandgap-type structures.

Two-photon polymerization initiators for three-dimensional optical data storage and microfabrication

https://pure.hw.ac.uk/ws/files/10766137/Melchels2010_Biomaterials_31_24_6121.pdf

A review on stereolithography and its applications in biomedical engineering

Preceramic polymers were proposed over 30 years ago as precursors for the fabrication of mainly Si-based advanced ceramics, generally denoted as polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs). The polymer to ceramic transformation process enabled significant technological breakthroughs in ceramic science and technology, such as the development of ceramic fibers, coatings, or ceramics stable at ultrahigh temperatures (up to 2000°C) with respect to decomposition, crystallization, phase separation, and creep. In recent years, several important advances have been achieved such as the discovery of a variety of functional properties associated with PDCs. Moreover, novel insights into their structure at the nanoscale level have contributed to the fundamental understanding of the various useful and unique features of PDCs related to their high chemical durability or high creep resistance or semiconducting behavior. From the processing point of view, preceramic polymers have been used as reactive binders to produce technical ceramics, they have been manipulated to allow for the formation of ordered pores in the meso-range, they have been tested for joining advanced ceramic components, and have been processed into bulk or macroporous components. Consequently, possible fields of applications of PDCs have been extended significantly by the recent research and development activities. Several key engineering fields suitable for application of PDCs include high-temperature-resistant materials (energy materials, automotive, aerospace, etc.), hard materials, chemical engineering (catalyst support, food- and biotechnology, etc.), or functional materials in electrical engineering as well as in micro/nanoelectronics. The science and technological development of PDCs are highly interdisciplinary, at the forefront of micro- and nanoscience and technology, with expertise provided by chemists, physicists, mineralogists, and materials scientists, and engineers. Moreover, several specialized industries have already commercialized components based on PDCs, and the production and availability of the precursors used has dramatically increased over the past few years. In this feature article, we highlight the following scientific issues related to advanced PDCs research: (1) General synthesis procedures to produce silicon-based preceramic polymers.
(2) Special microstructural features of PDCs.
(3) Unusual materials properties of PDCs, that are related to their unique nanosized microstructure that makes preceramic polymers of great and topical interest to researchers across a wide spectrum of disciplines.
(4) Processing strategies to fabricate ceramic components from preceramic polymers.
(5) Discussion and presentation of several examples of possible real-life applications that take advantage of the special characteristics of preceramic polymers. Note: In the past, a wide range of specialized international symposia have been devoted to PDCs, in particular organized by the American Ceramic Society, the European Materials Society, and the Materials Research Society. Most of the reviews available on PDCs are either not up to date or deal with only a subset of preceramic polymers and ceramics (e.g., silazanes to produce SiCN-based ceramics). Thus, this review is focused on a large number of novel data and developments, and contains materials from the literature but also from sources that are not widely available.

Polymer-Derived Ceramics: 40 Years of Research and Innovation in Advanced Ceramics

Microneedles for drug and vaccine delivery.

Advances in 3D nano/microfabrication using two-photon initiated polymerization

Two-photon stereolithography (TPS) provides many advantages for achieving two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) micrometer-scale polymeric, ceramic and metallic structures applicable to complicated optical and neo-electronic microdevices. In the fabrication of high-resolution 3D microstructures, TPS has significant advantages over conventional microelectromechanical system (MEMS) processing, which involves time-consuming multistep indirect fabrication processes. Many studies have recently been made to develop and improve the TPS process, focusing on creating greater efficiency, higher resolution, and greater productivity, which are essential requirements of a practical TPS process. For the first time, an artistic microstructure has recently been successfully produced with an ultraprecise spatial resolution, sub-30 nm nanofibers, 3D multilayer imprint stamps for mass production, and ceramic 3D microstructures. In this review, we report the progress of two-photon polymerization based on 3D microfabrication, including the results obtained from the original research. This report is presented in three sections: improvement of resolution, precise design schemes, and applications of 3D microstructures.

Two‐photon stereolithography for realizing ultraprecise three‐dimensional nano/microdevices

Ultraprecise fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) microstructures comes up to be one of the most important issues in two-photon induced photopolymerization. To date, it has been difficult to fabricate 3D microstructures without any deformation due to the surface tension between a rinsing material and solidified microstructures during the developing process: In general, the surface tension significantly affects the precision of the resulting 3D microstructures. To overcome this problem, the authors propose a simple and effective laser scanning method to reinforce the strength of 3D microstructures without loss of precision. Overall, a complex 3D artistic sculpture such as “The Thinker” was reproduced in the controlled ultraprecise form, which shows that the proposed method enables the fabrication of 3D patterns with dramatically improved precision and stability.

Ultraprecise microreproduction of a three-dimensional artistic sculpture by multipath scanning method in two-photon photopolymerization

We present the replication of polyethylene (PE) nano-micro hierarchical structures and their application for superhydrophobic surfaces. A commercial ultrasonic welding system was used to apply ultrasonic vibration energy to the forming of nano-micro hierarchical structures. To evaluate ultrasonic formability, Ni nanomold and nano-micro hierarchical mold were designed and fabricated. The optimal weld times were 1.5 s and 3.0 s for PE nanoprotrusions and nano-micro hierarchical structures, respectively. The forming process was conducted at atmospheric pressure. The PE structures were well replicated without a vacuum. The trapped air in the microcavity of the nano-micromold was dispersed and absorbed into the molten PE. Ultrasonic nano-microreplication technology showed an extremely short processing time and did not require a vacuum environment. To investigate the applicability of ultrasonic forming, the fabricated nanoprotrusions and nano-micro hierarchical structures were coated with plasma polymerized fluorocarbon (PPFC) of a hydrophobic nature and were applied to modify superhydrophobic surfaces. The contact angle was increased from 106° (smooth surface) to 125° (nanostructured surface) and finally to 160° (nano-microstructured surface) so that the surface became superhydrophobic.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0960-1317/20/3/035018/pdf

Replication of polyethylene nano-micro hierarchical structures using ultrasonic forming

In this study, a periodic three-dimensional (3D) Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite architecture of nanowires was fabricated on a flexible substrate to enhance the plasmonic photocatalytic activity of the composite. Layer-by-layer nanofabrication based on nanoimprint lithography, vertical e-beam evaporation, nanotransfer, and nanowelding was applied in a new method to create different 3D Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite architectures. The fabricated samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, focused ion-beam imaging, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, and UV–visible spectroscopy. The experiment indicated that the 3D nanocomposite architectures could effectively enhance photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue solution under visible light irradiation. We believe that our method is efficient and stable, which could be applied to various fields, including photocatalysis, solar energy conversion, and biotechnology.

Sang-Hu Park

Papers

Advances in 3D nano/microfabrication using two-photon initiated polymerization

Two‐photon stereolithography for realizing ultraprecise three‐dimensional nano/microdevices

Ultraprecise microreproduction of a three-dimensional artistic sculpture by multipath scanning method in two-photon photopolymerization

Replication of polyethylene nano-micro hierarchical structures using ultrasonic forming

Three-dimensional plasmonic Ag/TiO 2 nanocomposite architectures on flexible substrates for visible-light photocatalytic activity.