People are exploring a wider range of applications for 3D printing, including manufacturing, medical equipment, fashion and even food. However, one of the most effective forms of 3D printing has one big drawback: It can only print gray or black objects Now, researchers have adjusted this method to print all the colors of the rainbow. They published their findings in the ACS journal Nano Letters.
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Printer use Laser to heat specific areas of the powder material , usually Nylon or polyamide, so that the powder will melt or sinter to form a solid. Then, the printer will Selectively add a new layer of powder material Until the required 3D structure is obtained. To reduce the energy requirements of this process, the researchers added a name to the polymer powder. Photosensitizer Compounds. These materials, such as carbon nanotubes, carbon black and graphene, are much stronger than the polymer that absorbs light and transfer heat to them, enabling the use of cheaper, lower power lasers. However, Carbon-based photosensitizers can only produce gray or black printed objects. Gerasimos Konstantatos, Romain Quidant and their colleagues at the Institute of Photonics Research (IFCO) want to find a way to pass SLS method A photosensitizer that achieves color printing.
The researchers designed Gold nanorod In order to absorb energy strongly in the near-infrared spectrum, while being almost transparent to visible light. They apply silica to them and then mix them together with polyamide powder to print 3d objects. They found that with industrial standard carbon Compared to black, gold nanorods are much better at converting light from laser to heat. In addition, new photosensitizers produce whiter colors that, when mixed with dyes, produce bright 3-D objects. Importantly, these materials are cost-effective for large-scale production. Researchers have submitted several patent applications related to new technologies.