Revolutionary metal 3D printing method produces nanoscale objects

Researchers from the University of Oldenburg have successfully fabricated tiny metal objects with their new 3D printing technique.

In collaboration with researchers from ETH Zurich in Switzerland and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the research team has published a new study in Nano Letters detailing the technique. The electrochemical method used makes objects out of copper as small as 25 nanometers, around 3000 times thinner than a human hair.

The method is similar to electroplating, which involves depositing positively-charged metal ions onto a negatively-charged electrode, forming a neutral, solid metal layer. The team used a solution of positively-charged copper ions in a pipette which passed them through a print nozzle with an opening of as small as 1.6 nanometers, which only allows two copper ions through simultaneously onto a negatively charged substrate.

The team could precisely control the structure by adjusting the size of the print nozzle opening and electrical current between the positive and negative electrodes in the setup. The smallest object possible, 25 nanometers, is equivalent to only 195 copper atoms in a row. Compared to 3D printing metal powders, which can achieve 100-micrometer resolutions, this method can produce up to 4,000 times smaller objects.

"The technology we are working on combines both worlds-metal printing and nanoscale precision," said Dr. Dmitry Momotenko of the University of Oldenburg.

You can read more from the study here.