Deep-penetration acoustic volumetric printing

Over the last decades, the field of three-dimensional (3D) printing, or additive manufacturing, has witnessed tremendous progress. 3D printing enables precise control over the composition, spatial distribution, and architecture of the printed constructs facilitating the recapitulation of the delicate shapes and structures of target patterns. In particular, volumetric printing, an emerging additive manufacturing technique, builds objects with enhanced printing speed and surface quality by forgoing the stepwise ink-renewal step. Existing volumetric printing techniques almost exclusively rely on light energy to trigger photopolymerization in transparent inks, limiting material choices and build sizes. This talk will discuss our recent efforts in developing a unique additive manufacturing strategy that takes advantage of self-enhancing sono-ink design and corresponding focused-ultrasound writing technique for deep-penetration acoustic volumetric printing (DAVP). Experiments and acoustic modeling were used to study the frequency and scanning rate-dependent acoustic printing behaviors. DAVP achieves the key features of low acoustic streaming, rapid sonothermal polymerization, and large printing depth, enabling the printing of volumetric hydrogels and nanocomposites with various shapes regardless of their optical properties. DAVP also allows printing at centimeter depths through biological tissues, paving the way toward minimally invasive medicine.