3D Printing Nanomaterials Soon Possible?

Despite the fact that 3D printing can be done fairly easily at home and that its use is becoming increasingly broad there is one area in which there is still a long way to go and that is the field of medicine, namely at an infinitely small level. Although specialists have had a hard time reproducing 3D printing at a nanometer scale, researchers at the Vienna University of Technology have recently made a significant step toward achieving such feat. Indeed, single molecules have been integrated with flying colors to structures only a few nanometers wide.

The concept of 3D printing at nano level using various materials is expected to pave the way for medical breakthroughs such as printing artificial tissue. However, researchers will have to refine their methods so that they can make a successful transition from uniform materials to nanomaterials that feature different types of properties. In order to increase the level of precision throughout the process researchers have developed a brand new technique referred to as “3D photografting.” In plain words, this means that they have been able to graft chemical molecules at a nanometer scale with high accuracy. It is believed that this could even open the possibility of one day 3D‑printing blood vessels.