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Three-Dimensional Structures: Fabrication and Application

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2017) | Viewed by 52929

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Georg Von Freymann

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Guest Editor

Optical Technologies and Photonics, Department of Physics and Research Center OPTIMAS, University of Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Interests: three-dimensional micro printing; nanophotonics; photonic crystals; photonic quasicrystals and photonic deterministic-aperiodic structures; spin-wave optics; THz spectroscopy and applications

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Three-dimensional printing on the micron-scale finds its way into fields ranging from nanophotonics to cell-growth studies in biology, often as the technology that enables, for the first time, fabrication of complex three-dimensional structures. Polymers play an important role being the material of choice for structure fabrication and functionalization.

This Special Issue of Polymers aims at collecting cutting-edge original research papers and reviews covering the most recent developments in the field of three-dimensional micro printing, from materials development to the latest applications.

Prof. Dr. Georg von Freymann
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

3D laser lithography
3D micro-printing
Photopolymer
Protein-binding/repelling polymers
Polymer shrinkage
Biodegradable polymers
Elastomers

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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11670 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microstructural and Mechanical Implications of Microscaled Assembly in Droplet-based Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing

by Sofiane Guessasma, Hedi Nouri and Frederic Roger

Polymers 2017, 9(8), 372; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym9080372 - 18 Aug 2017

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 7067

Abstract

To reveal the potential and limits of multi-material three-dimensional (3D) printed parts in droplet-based additive manufacturing, a study combining tensile experiments and 3D imaging technique is proposed. A polymeric composite structure made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and thermoplastic polyurethane is manufactured using a two extrusion head printer. The quality of the interface between the two thermoplastics is quantified by adjusting the number of intertwining droplets at the interface. Tensile experiments assisted with digital image correlation are performed with two-interface orientation to discriminate shearing and traction at the interface. The 3D imaging results, which are based on X-ray micro-tomography, show the distinct features of droplet-based additive manufacturing in terms of porosity content and connectivity. Interface properties are found to control, in an incomparable way, the mechanical response. It is found that the interface quality is determinant for enhancing the ultimate performance whereas the interface orientation is found to be the perfect leverage for varying the slope of the linear part. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Three-Dimensional Structures: Fabrication and Application)

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19702 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Material Evaluation and Process Optimization of CNT-Coated Polymer Powders for Selective Laser Sintering

by Shangqin Yuan, Jiaming Bai, Chee Kai Chua, Jun Wei and Kun Zhou

Polymers 2016, 8(10), 370; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym8100370 - 19 Oct 2016

Cited by 96 | Viewed by 11479

Abstract

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as nano-reinforcements were introduced to facilitate the laser sintering process and enhance the thermal and mechanical properties of polymeric composites. A dual experimental-theoretical method was proposed to evaluate the processability and predict the process parameters of newly developed CNT-coated polyamide 12 (CNTs/PA12) powders. The thermal conductivity, melt viscosity, phase transition and temperature-dependent density and heat capacity of PA12 and CNTs/PA12 powders were characterized for material evaluation. The composite powders exhibited improved heat conduction and heat absorption compared with virgin polymer powders, and the stable sintering range of composite powders was extended and found to be favourable for the sintering process. The microstructures of sintered composites revealed that the CNTs remained at the powder boundaries and formed network architectures, which instantaneously induced the significant enhancements in tensile strength, elongation at break and toughness without sacrificing tensile modulus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Three-Dimensional Structures: Fabrication and Application)

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10491 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Additive Manufacture of Three Dimensional Nanocomposite Based Objects through Multiphoton Fabrication

by Yaan Liu, Qin Hu, Fan Zhang, Christopher Tuck, Derek Irvine, Richard Hague, Yinfeng He, Marco Simonelli, Graham A. Rance, Emily F. Smith and Ricky D. Wildman

Polymers 2016, 8(9), 325; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym8090325 - 01 Sep 2016

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 9326

Abstract

Three-dimensional structures prepared from a gold-polymer composite formulation have been fabricated using multiphoton lithography. In this process, gold nanoparticles were simultaneously formed through photoreduction whilst polymerisation of two possible monomers was promoted. The monomers, trimethylopropane triacrylate (TMPTA) and pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) were mixed with a gold salt, but it was found that the addition of a ruthenium(II) complex enhanced both the geometrical uniformity and integrity of the polymerised/reduced material, enabling the first production of 3D gold-polymer structures by single step multiphoton lithography. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Three-Dimensional Structures: Fabrication and Application)

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Graphical abstract

2374 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Spatio-Temporal Proximity Characteristics in 3D μ-Printing via Multi-Photon Absorption

by Erik Hagen Waller and Georg Von Freymann

Polymers 2016, 8(8), 297; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym8080297 - 10 Aug 2016

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 6348

Abstract

One of the major challenges in high-resolution μ-printing is the cross-talk between features written in close proximity—the proximity effect. This effect prevents, e.g., gratings with periods below a few hundred nanometers. Surprisingly, the dependence of this effect on space and time has not thoroughly been investigated. Here, we present a spatial-light-modulator based method to dynamically measure the strength of the proximity effect on length and timescales typical to μ-printing. The proximity strength is compared in various photo resists. The results indicate that molecular diffusion strongly contributes to the proximity effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Three-Dimensional Structures: Fabrication and Application)

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Review

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5481 KiB

Open AccessReview

Inkjet Etching of Polymers and Its Applications in Organic Electronic Devices

by Wi Hyoung Lee and Yeong Don Park

Polymers 2017, 9(9), 441; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym9090441 - 11 Sep 2017

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 7964

Abstract

Inkjet printing techniques for the etching of polymers and their application to the fabrication of organic electronic devices are reviewed. A mechanism is proposed for the formation of via holes in polymer layers through inkjet printing with solvent, and recent achievements in the fabrication with inkjet etching of various three-dimensional microstructures (i.e., microwells, microgrooves, hexagonal holes, and concave structures) are discussed. In addition, organic electronic devices are presented that use inkjet-etched subtractive patterns as platforms for the selective depositions of an emissive material, a liquid crystal, an organic conductor, an organic insulator, and an organic semiconductor, and as an optical waveguide. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Three-Dimensional Structures: Fabrication and Application)

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4111 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plasma-Based Nanostructuring of Polymers: A Review

by Lan Thi Phan, Sun Mi Yoon and Myoung-Woon Moon

Polymers 2017, 9(9), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym9090417 - 05 Sep 2017

Cited by 68 | Viewed by 9979

Abstract

There are various fabrication methods for synthesizing nanostructures, among which plasma-based technology is strongly competitive in terms of its flexibility and friendly uses, economy, and safety. This review systematically discusses plasma techniques and the detailed interactions of charged particles, radicals, and electrons with substrate materials of, in particular, polymers for their nanostructuring. Applications employing a plasma-based nanostructuring process are explored to show the advantages and benefits that plasma treatment brings to many topical and traditional issues, and are specifically related to wettability, healthcare, or energy researches. A short perspective is also presented on strategic plans for overcoming the limitations in dimension from surface to bulk, lifetime of surface functions, and selectivity for interactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Three-Dimensional Structures: Fabrication and Application)

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