A research team at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a low-temperature 3D printing method using deep ultraviolet (DUV) light to produce silica glass microstructures. Traditional techniques need high temperatures and extended durations, consuming substantial resources.
This novel method sidesteps these limitations, utilizing a photosensitive polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) resin as the ink. The PDMS is shaped using two-photon polymerization, then converted into silica glass with a DUV lamp in an ozone setting. Chemical tests verified the conversion of PDMS to silica glass, which displayed high transparency and a smooth surface akin to commercial fused silica glass. The process operates at a moderate 220 °C, completing in under 5 hours – so it is relatively low-temperature compared to glass manufacturing, but you wouldn’t want to touch it while it’s printing.
This method offers potential in microelectronics fabrication, as stated by researcher Mingzhe Li, due to its low-temperature process. The conventional 3D printing of glass demands temperatures above 1100 °C and can take days. The DUV-ozone treatment-based method, however, presents numerous benefits over existing techniques, including energy efficiency and eliminating silica nanoparticle-related issues.
The approach currently supports the creation of glass structures sized between 200 to 300 μm. Efforts are underway to scale this to the millimeter range. Professor H. Jerry Qi emphasized the significance of this research, underscoring the interdisciplinary team’s commitment to pushing fabrication boundaries.
The swift and energy-efficient methodology hints at a potential shift in 3D printing processes for ceramics, impacting various industries ranging from electronics to medical, and microfluidics.
You can read the full paper, titled “Low-temperature 3D printing of transparent silica glass microstructures” in the Science Advances journal, at this link.
Source: photonics.com
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