A 3D printer has been adapted by a team at the US Department of Energy’s Berkeley Lab to print 3D structures composed entirely of liquids.
A 3D printer has been adapted by a team at the US Department of Energy’s Berkeley Lab to print 3D structures composed entirely of liquids.The modified printer injects threads of water into silicone oil – sculpting tubes made of one liquid within another liquid.
The printer could be used to construct liquid electronics that power flexible, stretchable devices, the researchers said.
The scientists also foresee chemically tuning the tubes and flowing molecules through them, leading to new ways to separate molecules or precisely deliver nanoscale building blocks to under-construction compounds.
