Additive-Free All-Carbon Composite: A Two-Photon Material System for Nanopatterning of Fluorescent Sub-Wavelength...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Photochemistry

Background:

• Fabricating functional 3D nanostructures is limited by material selection.
• Incorporating desired functionalities into nanostructures presents significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a two-photon patternable all-carbon material system for creating fluorescent 3D micro/nanostructures.
• To eliminate the need for conventional two-photon absorbing materials like dyes or initiators.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of a two-photon processable resin using acrylate monomers and hydrothermally synthesized carbon dots.
• Utilizing two-photon excitation of carbon dots to initiate free-radical polymerization for cross-linking acrylate monomers.
• Achieving subwavelength resolution (250 nm) via two-photon polymerization with 800 nm laser excitation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated free-radical induced two-photon polymerization without proprietary absorbing materials.
• Achieved ultrafine subwavelength resolution of 250 nm.
• Optimized fabrication parameters (laser power, carbon dot concentration, exposure) for 1D, 2D, and 3D nanostructures.
• Attained a high fabrication speed of 100 mm/s.

Conclusions:

• The developed all-carbon material system enables efficient fabrication of functional 3D nanostructures with fluorescence and low toxicity.
• This advancement is poised to revolutionize fields including metamaterials, energy storage, drug delivery, and optoelectronics.