Customizable and Reconfigurable Surface Properties of Printed Micro-objects by 3D Direct Laser Writing via Nitroxide Mediated Photopolymerization

Photoactivated Reversible Deactivation Radical Polymerization (RDRP) technologies have emerged very recently in the field of 3D printing systems especially at the macroscale in vat-photopolymerization-based processes such as digital light processing (DLP). Contrary to conventional free radical photopolymerization, photoRDRP in 3D printing leads to 3D objects with living character and thus confers them the unique ability to be post-modified after fabrication. While 3D direct laser writing (3D DLW) by two photon polymerization has become a standard for fabrication of complex 3D micro-objects, the use of RDRP and its associated benefits has so far been under-investigated at that scale. Herein, a photoresist suitable for 3D DLW based on nitroxide mediated photopolymerization (NMP2) is developed. The photopolymerization efficiency for fabrication of micro-structures and their subsequent post-modification are investigated regarding the laser power and the wavelength of excitation. Moreover, highly tunable, precise, and successive surface patterning of 2D and 3D multi-material microstructures are demonstrated thanks to the spatial and temporal control offered by the photo-induced post-modification. This work highlights new directions to be explored in order to accelerate the adoption of RDRP in 3D printing based on photopolymerization.

Automated summary

Photoactivated Reversible Deactivation Radical Polymerization (RDRP) technologies have recently emerged in the field of 3D printing systems, specifically in vat-photopolymerization-based processes such as digital light processing (DLP). Unlike conventional free radical photopolymerization, photoRDRP in 3D printing allows for post-modification of 3D objects. This study develops a photoresist suitable for 3D direct laser writing (3D DLW) based on nitroxide mediated photopolymerization (NMP2) and demonstrates highly tunable, precise, and successive surface patterning of 2D and 3D multi-material microstructures.