Light-Defined Reaction Fields via Topochemical Control for Single-Shot Projection Photoprinting

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• 3D photoprinting faces challenges in translating optical fields to chemical reaction fields.
• Existing methods lack deterministic control over volumetric chemical transformations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a photoprinting strategy where light acts as a programmable input for spatial chemical reactions.
• To enable deterministic translation of optical projections into 3D chemical transformations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized molecular spatial homogeneity and topochemical control to define a light-driven reaction field.
• Employed a large-area ADCA-based single-cocrystalline photoresist film for cascade reactions.
• Integrated a projection system with computational modeling for direct compilation of graphic inputs.

Main Results:

• Achieved low-power (µW), millimeter-scale projection photoprinting.
• Produced 3D nanostructures with sub-diffraction-limited lateral resolution (153 nm) and high axial resolution (3.5 nm).
• Demonstrated rapid fabrication of nanoarchitectures within seconds.

Conclusions:

• Established topochemical reaction-field-guided projection photoprinting as a powerful fabrication strategy.
• Showcased the potential for rapid, high-resolution 3D fabrication using ADCA-based photoresists.
• Suggested a molecular design principle for future co-crystalline photoprinting materials.