“Exploring the New Possibilities of 2PP 3D-Printing in Creating Complex Microstructures”

November 7, 2023

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by UpNano GmbH

In a series of studies, scientists from the NeptunLab at the University of Freiburg (Germany) have pushed the potential of 2-photon polymerization 3D-printing (2PP 3D-printing) beyond existing limits. Having demonstrated their ability to print complex platinum 3D microstructures with an astonishing sub-micron resolution in 2021, this year the team succeeded in producing similar structures made of tungsten as well as embedded microfluidic chips with single μm resolution at unprecedented speed.

Leading scientist Manuel Luitz used a NanoOne 2PP 3D-printer from UpNano GmbH (Austria). Having successfully recruited Luitz for UpNano, the company will continue to redefine the rules of feasibility for 2PP 3D-printing.

Wider application of high-resolution 2PP 3D-printing faces major limitations including the printing speed and the availability of materials necessary for photopolymerization. However, through years of research, Luitz–while working at the Laboratory of Process Technology (NeptunLab) at the University of Freiburg in Germany–has made significant strides in reducing these limitations.

The fruits of this labor are in three successive papers published in the journals Advanced Materials, Advanced Engineering Materials, and most recently in Advanced Materials Technology.

The most recent development has seen Luitz and colleagues outline a scheme for the creation of single-micron embedded microfluidic chips using the NanoOne printer from UpNano GmbH in Austria. This printer is the fastest 2PP 3D-printer available today, with a remarkable capacity for high-resolution 3D-printing spanning an astonishing 15 orders of magnitude. The team utilized the printer’s capabilities to create a chip that could connect to a pressure-driven pump via a chip-to-world interface.

The phrase “a breakthrough in microfluidic chip manufacturing,” is how Luitz describes this development. The reason for this is that one of the main challenges in high-resolution 3D printing of microfluidic chips is getting rid of uncured material from the embedded channels. This technological advance has paved the way for the creation of meander chips with lengths of up to 20 cm, droplet generator chips, as well as a cell sorting chip based on deterministic lateral displacement with column diameters of 30 μm and column spacing of 4 μm.

“Microfluidic chips with centimeter dimensions and μm resolution can now be printed in less than 12 hours using the NanoOne,” recounts Luitz.

In his previous work, Luitz manipulated the NanoOne printer for an entirely different function, a task that significantly diversified the types of materials compatible with 2PP 3D printing. He succeeded in mastering tungsten and tungsten carbide for a high-precision additive manufacturing process. These substances, renowned for their exceptional hardness and heat resistance properties, proved challenging to handle. Luitz’s creativity in transforming tungsten and its carbides into high-quality objects serves countless applications such as emitter tips, probes, microtools, metamaterials, and catalysis.

“Working with a NanoOne printer,” Luitz details, “we created a manufacturing process embedded in an organic-inorganic photo-resin enriched with tungsten ions. The polymer items underwent a thermal debinding and reduction process, yielding tungsten and tungsten carbide parts at an impressive final resolution of 2 μm and 7 μm respectively.”

The breakthrough at the NeptunLab at “Institut für Mikrosystemtechnik –IMTEK” involving Luitz’s expertise in ‘taming’ tungsten for 2PP 3D-printing using the NanoOne was not a coincident. Prior to this, the team had realized a comparable outcome with platinum. They managed to fabricate free-standing nanopillars and intricate 3D platinum microstructures possessing a resolution of 300 nm. Such minute structures bear enormous potential in various engineering applications, specifically in areas where the substantial surface area and certain physicochemical properties of platinum are advantageous.

More information: Manuel Luitz et al, Fabrication of Embedded Microfluidic Chips with Single Micron Resolution Using Two‐Photon Lithography, Advanced Materials Technologies (2023). DOI: 10.1002/admt.202300667

Manuel Luitz et al, High‐Resolution Patterning of Organic–Inorganic Photoresins for Tungsten and Tungsten Carbide Microstructures, Advanced Engineering Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1002/adem.202201927

Manuel Luitz et al, High Resolution Patterning of an Organic–Inorganic Photoresin for the Fabrication of Platinum Microstructures, Advanced Materials (2021). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202101992

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