High-throughput fabrication techniques for generating arbitrarily complex three-dimensional structures with nanoscale features are desirable across a broad range of applications. Two-photon lithography (TPL)–based submicrometer additive manufacturing is a promising candidate to fill this gap. However, the serial point-by-point writing scheme of TPL is too slow for many applications. Attempts at parallelization either do not have submicrometer resolution or cannot pattern complex structures. We overcome these difficulties by spatially and temporally focusing an ultrafast laser to implement a projection-based layer-by-layer parallelization. This increases the throughput up to three orders of magnitude and expands the geometric design space. We demonstrate this by printing, within single-digit millisecond time scales, nanowires with widths smaller than 175 nanometers over an area one million times larger than the cross-sectional area.
High‐molecular‐weight polysulfates are readily formed from aromatic bis(silyl ethers) and bis(fluorosulfates) in the presence of a base catalyst. The reaction is fast and proceeds well under neat conditions or in solvents, such as dimethyl formamide or N‐methylpyrrolidone, to provide the desired polymers in nearly quantitative yield. These polymers are more resistant to chemical degradation than their polycarbonate analogues and exhibit excellent mechanical, optical, and oxygen‐barrier properties.
High-resolution 3D printing of intricate graphene aerogel micro-architectures with enhanced mechanical properties at decreasing densities.
Volumetric additive manufacturing (VAM) is an emerging approach to photo polymerbased 3D printing that produces complex 3D structures in a single step, rather than from layer-by-layer assembly. [1] This paradigm holds promise because it overcomes many of the drawbacks of layerbased fabrication, such as long build times and rough surfaces. VAM also augurs a broadening of the materials available for photopolymer 3D printing, having fewer constraints on viscosity and reactivity compared to layerwise printing. Indeed, though VAM has been demonstrated with extremely soft hydrogels, [2,3] it has relied until now almost exclusively on acrylate-based chemistry. [4] This is natural, because the oxygen inhibition of acrylate polymerization provides the threshold behavior required for VAM. However, acrylate chemistry is in general limiting due to the brittle and glassy properties of the resulting materials. Accordingly, extensive efforts have been made to identify and target specific soft, elastic acrylate formulations. [5-9] Introducing alternative crosslinking chemistries to the VAM realm, as well as AM more broadly, is highly desirable as an alternative method to gain access to a wider range of mechanical, thermal, and optical performance. [10-14] Thiol-ene-based polymers are one class of materials that have drawn significant attention owing to their controllable, tunable mechanical properties. [15-17] This is generally attributed to more uniform molecular networks in thiol-ene materials, resulting from the step-growth mechanism of the polymerization reaction. [18,19] Thiol-ene materials have already shown promise for applications including use in adhesives, electronics, and as biomaterials. [20,21] This work expands the versatility of volumetric AM by introducing a new class of VAM-compatible thiol-ene resins. We demonstrate the formulation of thiol-ene resins with the nonlinear threshold-type kinetics required for VAM and show bulk-equivalent performance in the resulting 3D printed parts, confirming the advantage of the layerless whole-part process. In our volumetric AM system, a 3D distribution of light energy is delivered to the resin vat by superimposing exposures from multiple angles, a method termed computed axial litho graphy (CAL) (Figure 1a). [2] The exposures are a sequence of projections calculated from 3D CAD models using algorithms from computed Volumetric additive manufacturing (VAM) forms complete 3D objects in a single photocuring operation without layering defects, enabling 3D printed polymer parts with mechanical properties similar to their bulk material counterparts. This study presents the first report of VAM-printed thiol-ene resins. With well-ordered molecular networks, thiol-ene chemistry accesses polymer materials with a wide range of mechanical properties, moving VAM beyond the limitations of commonly used acrylate formulations. Since free-radical thiol-ene polymerization is not inhibited by oxygen, the nonlinear threshold response required in VAM is introduced by incorporating 2,2,6,6-tetrameth...
Two photon polymerization (TPP) is a precise, reliable, and increasingly popular technique for rapid prototyping of micro-scale parts with sub-micron resolution. The materials of choice underlying this process are predominately acrylic resins cross-linked via free-radical polymerization. Due to the nature of the printing process, the derived parts are only partially cured and the corresponding mechanical properties, i.e. modulus and ultimate strength, are lower than if the material were cross-linked to the maximum extent. Herein, post-print curing via UV-driven radical generation, is demonstrated to increase the overall degree of cross-linking of low density, TPP-derived structures.
The electrosynthesis of value‐added multicarbon products from CO2 is a promising strategy to shift chemical production away from fossil fuels. Particularly important is the rational design of gas diffusion electrode (GDE) assemblies to react selectively, at scale, and at high rates. However, the understanding of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in these assemblies is limited for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR): particularly important, but incompletely understood, is how the GDL modulates product distributions of catalysts operating in high current density regimes > 300 mA cm−2. Here, 3D‐printable fluoropolymer GDLs with tunable microporosity and structure are reported and probe the effects of permeance, microstructural porosity, macrostructure, and surface morphology. Under a given choice of applied electrochemical potential and electrolyte, a 100× increase in the C2H4:CO ratio due to GDL surface morphology design over a homogeneously porous equivalent and a 1.8× increase in the C2H4 partial current density due to a pyramidal macrostructure are observed. These findings offer routes to improve CO2RR GDEs as a platform for 3D catalyst design.
(Cyclopentadienyl)(cyclooctadiene) ruthenium(II) chloride [CpRuCl(cod)] catalyzes the reaction between nitrile oxides and electronically deficient 1-choro-, 1-bromo- and 1-iodoalkynes leading to 4-haloisoxazoles. Organic azides are also suitable 1,3-dipoles, resulting in 5-halo-1,2,3-triazoles. These air tolerant reactions can be performed at room temperature with 1.25 equiv of the respective 1,3-dipole relative to the alkyne component. Reactive 1-haloalkynes include propiolic amides, esters, ketones and phosphonates. Post-functionalization of the halogenated azole products can be accomplished using palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions as well as via manipulation of reactive amide groups. The lack of catalysis observed with Cp*RuCl(cod) is attributed to steric demands of the Cp* (η5-C5Me5) ligand in comparison to the parent Cp (η5-C5H5). This hypothesis is supported by the poor reactivity of (η5-C5Me4CF3)RuCl(cod), which serves as a an isosteric mimic of Cp* and as an isoelectronic analog of Cp.
An industrial process for the selective activation of methane under mild conditions would be highly valuable for controlling emissions to the environment and for utilizing vast new sources of natural gas. The only selective catalysts for methane activation and conversion to methanol under mild conditions are methane monooxygenases (MMOs) found in methanotrophic bacteria; however, these enzymes are not amenable to standard enzyme immobilization approaches. Using particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), we create a biocatalytic polymer material that converts methane to methanol. We demonstrate embedding the material within a silicone lattice to create mechanically robust, gas-permeable membranes, and direct printing of micron-scale structures with controlled geometry. Remarkably, the enzymes retain up to 100% activity in the polymer construct. The printed enzyme-embedded polymer motif is highly flexible for future development and should be useful in a wide range of applications, especially those involving gas–liquid reactions.
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