3D Printing of Porphyrin-Based Materials: Processes and Applications

3D printing has transformed academia and industry by providing rapid prototyping, enhanced durability, and customized manufacturing solutions. It creates complex objects in layer by layer (i.e., additive manufacturing) from computer-aided designs (CAD). Although 3D printing has been widely used for producing machine parts, devices, etc., its application in synthetic chemistry and nanomaterials is still in its early stages. Porphyrins are class of naturally occurring macrocycle that play key roles in biological processes such as photosynthesis, oxygen transport, etc. Additionally, synthetic porphyrins and their derivatives, prepared using established methods, are now being integrated into advanced materials, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), 2D materials, and nanomaterials. This mini-review portraits the reports of converting porphyrins into 3D printable inks, illustrating how the fusion of porphyrin chemistry and 3D printing technology can yield significant breakthroughs. We present examples of porphyrin derivatives that have been 3D printed using techniques such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), inkjet printing (IJP), direct ink writing (DIW), and stereolithography (SLA). This review examines the compatibility between 3D printing techniques and porphyrin chemistry and highlights the potential for translating laboratory-scale developments into industrial 3D printing of porphyrins, additive manufacturing, DIW printing, FDM printing, SLA printing applications.