Second Place, 2021

This is a photograph of a three-dimensional lattice composed of polyacrylate. It was printed with a custom-made 3D digital light projection (DLP) printer, designed by Monoware for our laboratory, using visible light. A novel chemical photocatalyst we synthesized in our lab was dissolved in a liquid resin and causes polymerization (solidification) when it is excited with visible light. This catalytic system and process allows us to realize complex solid objects from simple liquid starting materials.

In this photo the 3D printed lattice is fluorescing under longwave ultraviolet light due to the BODIPY catalyst being “trapped” in the solidified resin. To read more about the chemistry showcased in this photograph, read our research group’s publication (link above).

Credit:
Lynn Stevens
Chemistry Graduate Student