Direct ink writing of high-resolution cellulose structures

3D printing is envisioned to play an important role in the production of membranes for e.g., water purification and bio-separation applications due to the prospect of creating new and cleverly designed structures. Among different 3D printing techniques, direct ink writing offers the opportunity to print a wide variety of materials with high-detail resolution. There is a range of parameters that need to be optimized in order to develop robust printing techniques at that scale. In this study, cellulose acetate (CA), which is a biocompatible material, has been used as an ink. In order to examine the printability and the possibility of printing features as small as a few µm, nozzles with different diameters and inks with varying amounts and molecular weights of CA were investigated. Findings in this study indicate that, depending on the wetting on the underlaying structure, the nozzle's internal and external diameter affects the detail resolution of the printed structure. Different inks result in different widths of printed strands and generally a higher amount and higher molecular weights of CA results in higher detail resolution. However, too high amount of CA and molecular weight will increase the clogging risk in the nozzle. In this study, the internal size of the nozzle was 3 µm, and by selecting a  suitable ink, it was possible to print strands down to 1 µm size and 6 µm inter-strand distance in the air, bridging supports with limited sagging. Furthermore, wall structures consisting of 300 layers, corresponding to about 300 µm in total height, were successfully printed.