Triplet–Triplet Annihilation Photopolymerization for High-Resolution 3D Printing

David Limberg, Ji‐Hwan Kang, Ryan C. Hayward

2022Journal of the American Chemical Society110 citationsDOI

Abstract

Two-photon polymerization (TPP) currently offers the highest resolution available in 3D printing (∼100 nm) but requires femtosecond laser pulses at very high peak intensity (∼1 TW/cm2). Here, we demonstrate 3D printing based on triplet–triplet-annihilation photopolymerization (TTAP), which achieves submicron resolution while using a continuous visible LED light source with comparatively low light intensity (∼10 W/cm2). TTAP enables submicrometer feature sizes with exposure times of ∼0.1 s/voxel without requiring a coherent or pulsed light source, opening the door to low-cost fabrication with submicron resolution. This approach enables 3D printing of a diverse array of designs with high resolution and is amenable to future parallelization efforts.

Topics & Concepts

PhotopolymerFemtosecondAnnihilationChemistry3D printingOptoelectronicsResolution (logic)FabricationHigh resolutionPolymerizationLaserOpticsMaterials sciencePolymerPhysicsNuclear physicsComputer scienceGeologyRemote sensingPathologyOrganic chemistryArtificial intelligenceComposite materialAlternative medicineMedicineNonlinear Optical Materials StudiesPhotopolymerization techniques and applicationsNanofabrication and Lithography Techniques