Researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) have developed a process to create carbon structures using a specialized 3D printing technique at room temperature. The teams led by Laurene Tetard, professor of physics, and Richard Blair, research professor at UCF’s Florida Space Institute, use boron-based catalysts that, when exposed to light, break down hydrocarbons into their component elements, hydrogen and carbon. Their results were recently published in Nature Communications.
Originally, the scientists were studying the catalytic conversion of propylene into propane. During spectroscopic analysis, Fernand Torres-Davila, then a doctoral student, observed black deposits on the catalyst surface. Further investigation revealed that these were newly formed carbon structures. This discovery led to the realization that three-dimensional carbon shapes could be generated on various substrates through targeted laser focusing.
“What’s exciting about this is that we’re essentially 3D printing carbon structures at room temperature,” Blair says. “This has been done before, but usually at very high temperatures. We’re able to do it at much lower temperatures and even on flexible materials like fabric. We realized there’s no catalyst decomposition pathway that would make those black spots. We were breaking the gas down into its component parts: hydrogen and carbon.”
“We were looking at the hydrogen component, and my colleague, Dr. Tetard, noticed that as she focused the laser, interesting shapes were forming,” he says. “She moved the laser up from the surface, and the shapes would grow following the laser.”
“Both of our teams have collaborated closely on this work. My group’s focus is more on the small-scale manipulation and understanding of the processes using nanoscale imaging and spectroscopy tools,” Tetard says. “These complement the efforts from all the other authors and contributors well. Each brings their unique perspectives in presenting this special project of carbon growth using 3D printing technology.”
The developed materials could in the future be used as biocompatible electrodes, for example, for the direct measurement of cellular processes. Tetard and Blair plan to further investigate the properties of these carbon structures and explore new application possibilities in energy-efficient catalysis and bioelectronics.
“These carbon structures can interface with biological systems without killing them,” he says. “We’ve seen that electrodes made from these materials can be inserted into living cells without causing cell death. This allows the electrical processes in a cell to be monitored in vivo. It may also enable direct interface between electronic and biologic systems.”
“This project has been endearing because we observed many unexpected processes,” Tetard says. “None of this research could be done without the undergraduate and graduate students, who were key to the realization of the project.”
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