Description
With advances in additive manufacturing, 3D-printing of polymers has flourished, resulting in many create-labs, and community creative-spaces across a range of applications. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) and digital light projection (DLP) printers are common due to their low running cost, and relatively small footprint1, 2. However, adapting these materials for analytical science is not straightforward. Resins can be unpredictable with composition variation, (inter-batch, different manufacturer etc.), with little information provided to the consumer1-3. Understanding the material is key for successful applications. For example, innate surfaces of 3D-printed resins have been used to separate proteins via ion exchange chromatography3. Random surface functionality, and irregular morphological features, can limit the acceptance and use of these accessible technologies within analytical labs.Thus, the logical approach is to develop a tailored resin per application, requiring skill, expertise, and time4, 5. To control surface chemistries and features, easily is desirable, where a standardised approach to material modification would rule out the possibility of unwanted side-reactions, or non-specific binding events, for applications in analytical science3, 6. In advanced applications such as point-of-care devices towards transformative sustainable healthcare, considerations for biomolecule stability, and surface activity for extraction and/or separations, require precise control of surface chemistry and material stability.
Here, several techniques were explored using a multi-disciplinary approach to modify the surfaces of 3D-printed polymers, in planar and complex 3D printed structures. UV and thermally initiated monoliths were fabricated in these housings following surface treatments. In each technique the surface chemistry and growth of a new polymer was characterised using FTIR, SEM, optical profilometry, and separation techniques.
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2. N. P. Macdonald, J. M. Cabot, P. Smejkal, R. M. Guijt, B. Paull and M. C. Breadmore, Anal. Chem., 2017, 89, 3858-3866.
3. N. P. Macdonald, S. A. Currivan, L. Tedone and B. Paull, Anal. Chem., 2017, 89, 2457-2463.
4. L. Shahzadi, F. Maya, M. C. Breadmore and S. C. Thickett, Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, n/a, 2200497.
5. L. Shahzadi, F. Li, F. M. Alejandro, M. C. Breadmore and S. C. Thickett, in 3D Printing with Light, eds. X. Pu and Z. Jing, De Gruyter, Berlin, Boston, 2021, pp. 135-174.
6. N. P. Macdonald, F. Zhu, C. J. Hall, J. Reboud, P. S. Crosier, E. E. Patton, D. Wlodkowic and J. M. Cooper, Lab Chip, 2016, 16, 291-297.
| Period | 10 Sept 2026 |
|---|---|
| Event title | International Symposium on Chromatography (ISC) 2026 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Conference number | 35 |
| Location | Prague , Czech RepublicShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |