Schlagwort: nanoscale 3D printing

  • Nano-3D Printing Technology Helps Develop Improved Biochips

    Nano-3D Printing Technology Helps Develop Improved Biochips

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    The nanoprinting method enables printing of multiple molecules without damaging existing molecule layers – a perfect match if you want to fabricate delicate biochips.

    Researchers at the City University of New York’s Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) and Hunter College have come up with a novel solution to print biochips. They are using a nano-scale 3D printing process which combines gold-plated pyramids, LED light, and photochemical reactions to affix organic materials on top of biochips.

    The process is known as tip-based lithography. It works by covering polymer pyramids in gold and mounting them onto an atomic force microscope. The size of the arrays is 1cm2. They contain thousands of little pyramids which have holes to enable light to pass through. In return, this ensures that light reaches certain surface areas on the chip beneath them.

    Solving the single molecule challenge of tip-based lithography

    The technology can be used in biomedical science to disable certain organic reagents on the chip surface without causing too much damage to them.

    However, in the past, the process has been limited to just a single molecule.

    The team at ASRC now seem to have solved this issue. They used microfluidics to expose the biochips to a combination of chemicals. Subsequently, they shone light through the pyramids and monitored the light’s reaction with the molecules. They found that the molecules adhered to the chip when light was shown on them.

    Traditionally, tip-based lithography systems can overpower a chip and destroy the molecules. However, by using beam-pen lithography which traps and channels the light through small apexes, they were able to avoid this issue. As a result, the researchers could more effortlessly control the light. Furthermore, they were able to protect the organic materials already printed onto the biochip this way.

    According to lead researcher and associate professor at ASRC’s Nanoscience Initiative, Adam Braunschweig, the new method could help scientists understand cells and biological pathways.

    The technology should also ease the study of disease development and help explore issues such as bioterrorism agents.


    Beam-pen lithography in progress. (Image: IEEE Spectrum)

    Source: IEEE Spectrum

    License: The text of „Nano-3D Printing Technology Helps Develop Improved Biochips“ by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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  • Pope Francis Receives 3D Printed Nano-Nativity Scene for Christmas

    Pope Francis Receives 3D Printed Nano-Nativity Scene for Christmas

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    Lithuanian researchers from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University have 3D printed the world’s smallest nativity scene. The nanoscale-sized gift was given to Pope Francis for Christmas.

    Last week, Pope Francis paid a highly anticipated visit to Lithuania, and his presence was commemorated with an unprecedentedly tiny gift. During his travels, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė presented the leader of the Catholic Church with a nanoscale-sized nativity scene.

    This piously miniature gift, which is smaller than a human cell was created in the nanoscale with laser 3D printing technology. The project was headed by researchers from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU), and created within the local creativity and innovation centre LinkMenų Fabrikas.

    The religiously significant scene has been submitted to the Guinness World Records for being the world’s smallest nativity scene.


    3D Printed Nano-Nativity Scene Celebrates Big Tradition in Small Size

    To create the nanoscale adornment, the research team 3D scanned fifteen sculptures from the nativity scene at the Cathedral Square in Vilnius. They then reduced the size of the 3D models 10,000 times to 300 micrometres (0.3 mm), making it small enough to be placed on a single human eyelash.

    The VGTU team collaborated with the Laser Research Center at Vilnius University, the micro-fabrication company Femtika, and the 3D tech company Ideja 3D. Not only does the nativity scene make for a thoughtful gift for the visiting pope, it also showcases the technological leap that local businesses in Lithuania have made.

    “With the festive season upon us, we would like to demonstrate to the world an exceptional science and business potential in high-technology market in Lithuania. We do not only master the technology, but we are also able to apply it creatively by developing a new form to an old tradition, and combining both intellectual and cultural achievements of humanity,” said Eglė Girdzijauskaitė, ‎Vice Director at VGTU “LinkMenų fabrikas”.

    There were a total of five nano-nativity scenes 3D printed. One was gifted to Pope Francis, one will remain in the Lithuanian Presidential Palace in Vilnius, another in Vilnius Archdiocese, while the last two will be showcased to the public at LinkMenų fabrikas and Vilnius Municipality.

    Source: VGTU

    Website: LINK