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Published on: December 9, 2011
Template-Free 3D Microprinting of Metals Using a Force-Controlled Nanopipette for Layer-by-Layer Electrodeposition
Luca Hirt1, Stephan Ihle1, Zhijian Pan1
1Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, ETH and University of Zurich, Gloriastrasse 35, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
A novel 3D printing method for voxel-by-voxel metal printing is presented. Hollow atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilevers are used to locally supply metal ions in an electrochemical cell, enabling a localized electroplating reaction. By exploiting the deflection feedback of these probes, electrochemical 3D metal printing is, for the first time, demonstrated in a layer-by-layer fashion, enabling the fabrication of arbitrary-shaped geometries.
