Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026
06:44
3D Printing - Evaluating Particle Emissions of a 3D Printing Pen
Published on: October 9, 2020
9.1K
Multi-metal electrohydrodynamic redox 3D printing at the submicron scale
Alain Reiser1, Marcus Lindén1, Patrik Rohner2
1Laboratory for Nanometallurgy, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland.
Nature Communications
|April 25, 2019
Summary
Electrohydrodynamic redox printing (EHD-RP) enables direct, ink-free 3D metal printing. This novel additive manufacturing technique creates complex multi-metal structures with high resolution and speed.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Electrochemistry allows metal dissolution and redeposition in solvents.
- Additive manufacturing seeks advanced fabrication methods for complex structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce electrohydrodynamic redox printing (EHD-RP) for direct 3D metal fabrication.
- To demonstrate the capability of EHD-RP for creating multi-metal structures without post-processing.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing focused electrohydrodynamic ejection of metal ions from sacrificial anodes.
- Employing subsequent reduction of ions to elemental metals on a substrate.
- Implementing on-the-fly switching and mixing of metals from a multichannel nozzle.
Main Results:
- Achieved direct, ink-free fabrication of polycrystalline multi-metal 3D structures.
- Demonstrated a chemical feature size below 400 nm and spatial resolution of 250 nm.
- Attained printing speeds of up to 10 voxels per second.
Conclusions:
- EHD-RP offers additive control over material chemical architecture.
- This technique enables the synthesis of 3D bi-metal structures with programmed local properties.
- Opens new avenues for fabricating chemically architected materials and devices.
Related Concept Videos
02:58Balancing Redox Equations
61.7K
Electrochemistry is the science involved in the interconversion of electrical and chemical reactions. Such reactions are called reduction-oxidation, or redox reactions. These important reactions are defined by changes in oxidation states for one or more reactant elements and include a subset of reactions involving the transfer of electrons between reactant species. Electrochemistry as a field has evolved to yield sufficient insights on the fundamental principles of redox chemistry and multiple...
61.7K
01:24Redox Reactions
58.5K
Oxidation-reduction or redox reactions involve the transfer of electrons from one molecule or atom to another. When an atom gains an electron, another atom must lose an electron, meaning oxidation and reduction must occur together. Since the redox occurs in pairs, the atom that gets oxidized is also called the reducing agent or reductant, and the atom that is reduced is also called the oxidizing agent or oxidant. A straightforward way to remember the definitions of oxidation and reduction is...
58.5K
01:27Redox Reactions
947
Redox reactions are vital biochemical processes that underpin energy metabolism in cells. These reactions involve the transfer of electrons between molecules, occurring in tandem as oxidation and reduction. Oxidation refers to the loss of electrons, while reduction denotes their gain. This coupling ensures the seamless flow of electrons through metabolic pathways. For example, in bacterial metabolism, glucose undergoes oxidation to carbon dioxide, while oxygen is simultaneously reduced to...
947
02:32Bonding in Metals
52.2K
Metallic bonds are formed between two metal atoms. A simplified model to describe metallic bonding has been developed by Paul Drüde called the “Electron Sea Model”.
52.2K
02:37Metallic Solids
20.5K
Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
20.5K
02:41pH Scale
79.1K
Hydronium and hydroxide ions are present both in pure water and in all aqueous solutions, and their concentrations are inversely proportional as determined by the ion product of water (Kw). The concentrations of these ions in a solution are often critical determinants of the solution’s properties and the chemical behaviors of its other solutes. Two different solutions can differ in their hydronium or hydroxide ion concentrations by a million, billion, or even trillion times. A common means of...
79.1K