Integrating Nanomaterials into 3D Printer Inks

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While substantial strides have been made in the development of large-scale processes to create nanomaterials, several challenges remain when trying to integrate nanoparticles with specific alignment and registration into macroscopic devices at millimeter and greater scales. This research program will focus on two long term visions, (i) developing new types of composite material "inks" compatible with commercially available 3D printers that consist of inorganic magnetic nanomaterials and polymeric scaffolds, and (ii) developing the methodology to print these nanomaterial containing "inks" into proof of principle macroscopic devices such as magnetic actuators or photonic crystals. The short-term scientific objectives of this research program will include: first, to design and synthesize inorganic superparamagnetic and ferromagnetic nanomaterials that can be incorporated, and cross-linked, into macromolecular polymeric 3D printed materials. We will draw on literature based methods, as well as those that I have developed personally while working with several types of inorganic magnetic nanomaterials during my graduate and postdoctoral training, to synthesize superparamagnetic iron oxides and ferromagnetic cobalt, iron, and iron platinum nanoparticles. Several of the existing literature methods result in aliphatic magnetic nanoparticles so we will perform the appropriate ligand exchange chemistry to produce magnetic nanoparticles with the solubility and functionality to form covalent attachment amongst nanoparticles to form ordered nanoparticle superlattice structures, or alternatively to form covalent crosslinking attachments between the nanomaterials and the polymeric scaffolding. After optimizing the nanoparticle design we will then experimentally verify the effect of superlattice size, concentration, and polymeric scaffold design parameters on the physical properties (magnetic, rheological, etc) of different nanomaterial inks. Upon developing a suitable composite "ink" we will fabricate proof-of-principle macroscale devices using a stereolithographic apparatus 3D printing approach. The first device would be to demonstrate that the composite "ink" can be used to print a single clamped cantilever shaped magnetic actuator. By controlling the type, and mass, of magnetic nanoparticles incorporated into the cantilever we should be able to demonstrate experimental control over the deflection using external magnetic forces. These experiments will be compared to simulation results obtained using COMSOL Multiphysics or ANSYS. Using similar methods we will attempt to demonstrate that printing ordered arrays of nanoparticle superlattice structures in three-dimensional polymeric matrices could be used to develop a proof of principle photonic crystal. While previous demonstrations in the literature have shown that ordered periodic arrays or chains of magnetic nanoparticles can be used to produce tunable photonic crystals this demonstration would attempt to be the first to be able to integrate the photonic crystal elements into macroscopic devices at defined locations. While these two devices would demonstrate the potential of being able to incorporate nanomaterials as functional materials for 3D printing of simple macroscopic devices they are simple demonstrations of how increasing the palette of materials useful for soft 3D printing may have the potential to significantly increase the capabilities of 3D printing technology. The proposed research program has the potential to train eleven HQP (2 PhD, 2 MEng, 7 undergraduate researchers) from all stages of education in an interdisciplinary (nanotechnology and 3D printing) area of engineering that many economists are predicting to have tremendous growth in the coming decade.