Oak Ridge National Laboratory accelerates nanoscale 3D printing

The key to nanomaterial technology lies in the fabrication or processing of nanoscale or smaller scales. However, the development of 3D printing has made it possible to create nanostructures. Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have realized that designing 3D-printed nanostructures is more complicated than designing 3D-printed macrostructures. One of the commonly used nanoscale 3D printing methods focuses electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) methods. Working with scientists at the University of Tennessee and the University of Graz in Austria, the team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed an initial process for modeling and simulation guidance for the integrated design and construction of 3D printed nanostructures. By 3D electronically guided electron beams, complex lattices and grids can be reproduced from 1 micron size to 10 nm. Other nanofabrication methods may be faster, but FEBID is the only way to produce highly accurate 3D nanostructures. The next step for this group is to focus on the complete removal of carbon impurities from the structure during construction. Rinsing the structure with residual carbon in the precursor using laser with water or oxygen. With modeling and simulation, the stress caused during the carbon removal can be comprehensively considered and the deformation in the final product predicted.