Stronger, lighter, smarter materials are projected payoff
Additive manufacturing techniques featuring atomic precision could one day create materials with Legos flexibility and Terminator toughness, according to researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
In a review paper published in ACS Nano, Olga Ovchinnikova and colleagues provide an overview of existing paths to 3-D materials, but the ultimate goal is to create and customize material at the atomic scale. Material would be assembled atom by atom, much like children can use Legos to build a car or castle brick by brick. This concept, known as directed matter, could lead to virtually perfect materials and products because many limitations of conventional manufacturing techniques would be eliminated.
“Being able to assemble matter atom by atom in 3-D will enable us to design materials that are stronger and lighter, more robust in extreme environments and provide economical solutions for energy, chemistry and informatics,” Ovchinnikova said.
Fundamentally, directed matter eliminates the need to remove unwanted material by lithography, etching or other traditional methods. These processes have served society well, researchers noted, but the next generation of materials and products require a new approach.
“For the vast majority of recorded history, material transformation was limited to objects visible to the naked eye and patterned using hand-held tools,” the researchers wrote. “We can admire the prowess of the rice grain writing, or fine engraving on a prized sword blade, but only two to three orders of magnitude separate these masterpieces from Stone Age technology.”
Now, with the ability to direct matter with atomic precision, the payoff could be quantum computers, cell phones with more data storage and longer intervals between charging, higher efficiency solar cells, and stronger and less expensive lightweight materials.
“It’s actually difficult to predict where this could go and how this technology could change our lives, but we intend to find out,” Ovchinnikova said.
By using computation and modeling, researchers can precisely conceive, predict, create and control electrical and other properties of a material instead of having to compromise. Lead author Stephen Jesse noted that the directed matter approach builds on decades of research and uses instruments originally designed to examine materials to fabricate new ones with sub-10-nanometer (10 billionths of a meter) feature resolution.
For example, the transmission electron microscope, developed in the 1930s, has allowed single-atom imaging, chemical strain imaging and picometer-level structural mapping. Since its inception, however, the beam matter interaction had to be managed to prevent “beam damage,” a hindrance to fundamental studies, the researchers said.
“However, this interaction, combined with imaging of electron – and recently ion – microscopy can be used as a basis for a next generation of nanofabrication tools,” Jesse said.
The paper provides summaries of several other alternatives for atomically precise fabrication of 3-D materials based on electron and ion beams, including focused electron beam-induced processing from gas precursors and liquid precursors.
Learn more: Directed matter
The Latest on: Directed material 3D printing
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Directed material 3D printing” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Directed material 3D printing
- Innovative Direct Ink Writing Method Allows Variable Softness in 3D Printed Objectson April 22, 2024 at 9:56 am
Researchers have developed a unique approach to direct ink writing that has the ability to vary softness throughout the print.
- UltiMaker launches Factor 4 3D printer 'built for factory floor'on April 22, 2024 at 2:35 am
The direct drive dual extrusion-based platform is designed for ‘light industrial applications,’ which the desktop 3D printing leader describes as end use parts, functional prototypes, and small batch ...
- UltiMaker Launches Factor 4, a New Standard in Industrial-Grade 3D Printingon April 22, 2024 at 12:40 am
UltiMaker Factor 4 is the company's latest flagship solution to support light industrial applications ...
- Stratasys Launches Direct-to-Garment Fabric 3D Printing Systemon April 19, 2024 at 8:43 am
Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of ...
- Stratasys launches Direct to Garment solution for J850 TechStyle 3D printeron April 18, 2024 at 5:56 am
Stratasys' D2G solution has been designed for customisation and personalisation by enabling the application of full colour multi-material 3D printing directly on fully assembled garments of various ...
- Stratasys (SSYS) Unveils Direct-to-Garment 3D Printing Solutionon April 18, 2024 at 2:37 am
Stratasys SSYS has launched its Direct-to-Garment (D2G) solution for the J850 TechStyle 3D printer in a groundbreaking move that combines personalized fashion with sustainability. This innovative ...
- Stratasys Unveils Direct-to-Garment Solution, Paving the Way for Personalized, Sustainable Fashionon April 17, 2024 at 5:15 am
In a bold move that redefines the future of personalized fashion and sustainability, Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS) today announced the launch of its Direct-to-Garment (D2G) solution for the J850 ...
- MIT breakthrough means there's no material too weird for 3D printingon April 15, 2024 at 1:28 am
One of the drawbacks to 3D printing, which has been hyped as a revolutionary technology for more than a decade, is that changing the printed medium can require lengthy adjustments to the machinery, in ...
- 3D Printing Electronics Direct To Bodyon April 29, 2018 at 3:22 am
They’ve modified a common 3D printer to print electronic ... In addition, the techniques also allowed printing biologically compatible material directly on the skin wound of a mouse.
via Bing News