A team of US and Korean researchers has developed a 3D-printing ink that makes easy-to-recycle structures without the need for any heat or light.
The ink, made from a polymer, solidifies on contact with salt and dissolves back into re-usable ink on contact with fresh water.
The researchers say their ink could be useful for disposable electronics, robotic components, and prototyping.
They’ve published their findings in Nature Communications.
The structure created via 3D-printing with a re-usable polymer ink. Credit: Donghwan Ji
Polymer inks are useful tools for 3D-printing complex, small-scale devices. But they typically need high amounts of energy or extra solvents to print properly.
The researchers’ method uses a polymer called poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), or PNIPAM. This is a non-toxic substance used by the pharmaceutical industry for drug delivery systems.
PNIPAM dissolves in water to make a liquid, but it solidifies when it comes into contact with a salty calcium chloride solution.
