Stanford University engineers have discovered a nanoscale 3D printing material that could be used to create a lighter yet stronger protection for delicate components of microelectronics, drones and satellites.
The study involved combining nanoclusters with polymers to achieve greater energy absorption, recoverability and strength, according to the National Science Foundation, which funded the research.
The researchers tried combining metal nanoclusters with common 3D printing polymers to speed up the production process.
They found that their novel material had double the energy absorption capacity, and printed 100 times faster than was previously recorded in nanoscale printing.
“There’s a lot of interest right now in designing different types of 3D structures for mechanical performance,” said Wendy Gu, Stanford mechanical engineer and co-author of the study. “What we’ve done on top of that is develop a material that is really good at resisting forces, so it’s not just the 3D structure, but also the material that provides very good protection.”
