When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
Most polymers are one-dimensional. They are created with linearly repeating units bonded together to form a chain, though the structures may have some branching or irregular crosslinking. Now, researchers in the U.S. and Switzerland have used organic synthesis to design an ordered, 2D polymer, according to a statement from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology.
Graphene is a naturally occurring and well-known example of a nanoscale 2D polymer, which has planar layers of carbon with a honeycomb-like pattern, as shown in the image. However, graphene “cannot be synthesized in a controlled way,” according to the statement.
In a paper published in the journal Nature Chemistry, the researchers describe the advance:
We feel that the internal order of our two-dimensional polymers will allow for the establishment of reliable structure–property relations. In addition, the present two-dimensional structure might be tuned for particular properties (and applications). This is a key opportunity that rational synthesis offers over pyrolytic approaches.
To create the 2D polymer, the researchers first crystallized a specifically designed photoreactive monomer into a layered structure. Then they used light to polymerize the layers of the crystal. Finally, they boiled the crystal in a solvent to separate the polymerized layers, which each represent a 2D polymer structure.
The researchers confirmed the 2D structure of the polymer with transmission electron microscope studies, and are working on characterizing the material’s properties. The researchers also described in the statement how they could modify the 2D polymers to create such applications as tiny molecular sieves.
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