Alignment of 1D and 2D Nanoparticles in A New 3D Printing Mechanism

Nanoparticles are particles between 1 and 100 nanometers in size with broad applications in medicine, physics, optics, and electronics. However, the control of their orders in continuous positions or orientations is challenging due to the limit of their size and tools available to tailor them at the nanoscale. 3D printing as a revolutionary technique can potentially manufacture materials with precisely controlled dimensions and microstructures with an additive layer upon another. Our project will rely on an in-house designed additive manufacturing process that manages particles at nanoscales and builds them up into macroscale objects. Shear flows will align nanoparticles in a way similar to the river transports long logs. The degree of alignment will depend on the water flow behavior and the geometry feature of logs. We will study how the controlled shear flow aligns particles at small scales in each printing layer and how the confinement effects facilitated each small printing volume's nanoparticle alignment. Controlling nanoparticle alignment in each fabricated voxel and thin layer implies broad applications. For example, medicine tablets can release drugs carriers in a spatially and temporally controlled way; microelectronics can be electrically insulative and thermally conductive to avoid overheating; aerospace components will be stronger and tougher at a lower weight; optical devices will have improved conversion efficiencies; wastewater can be filtered and purified in a faster and cleaner way; among many other applications.

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