DCU Researchers Develop New Method for 3D Printing Nanomaterials

Researchers in Dublin City University have developed a new technique for 3D printing of nanomaterials. Postgraduate researcher Ronán McCann along with members of the Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre (APT) are developing techniques for fabricating next-generation platforms capable of disease and pathogen detection. Their latest research published in the Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics (http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6463/aa7193) outlines a new method for printing nanomaterial-based sensors on plastics using high-power laser ablation. “These nanomaterial platforms allow for detection at much lower concentration levels than those currently available and it is our hope that we can apply this new technique to build these platforms quicker and cheaper that is currently possible” said Mr. McCann. This represents a large step towards the rapid and large-scale fabrication of sensors capable of early-stage detection of cancers and other diseases. APT Research Centre has recently been awarded funding as partners of an SFI Research Centre co-led by Prof. Brabazon which will be focussed towards the development of innovative techniques and processes in Additive Manufacturing. Speaking of the new development Prof. Dermot Brabazon, Director of APT, said “This area of research is developing rapidly. The high surface area and the specificity of the detection allows for lower detection limits to be achieve with these platforms. In particular, the development from the research for the first time of a technique for the rapid direct writing of nanoparticles channels of defined particle size, connectedness, and conductivity opens up the opportunity to the further development of new more capable, more portable and lower cost disease detection platforms.”