Zinc-based semiconductor nanoparticles as photo-initiators for radical polymerization and 3D printing

3D printing has become an important tool for fabricating different based architectures for a variety of industries. However, the printing of structures in aqueous media has always been challenging due to a lack of efficient water soluble photoinitiators and the presence of oxygen that retards the polymerization process. Our group recently reported the development of a novel type water soluble photoinitiators based on gold tipped cadmium sulfide nanorods. Despite their significant advantages, the presence of cadmium in these systems limits their use in real life biomedical and industrial applications.

My poster presents the development of a new type of Zinc chalcogenides-based nanoparticle towards their use as photoinitiators for 3D printing in aqueous systems. I will present the synthetic pathway for achieving the nanorods structure along with their characterization by various methods including electron microscopy, and more. Preliminary results of the potential applicability of Zinc chalcogenides are also presented.

Zinc-based nanoparticles may open a new path for environmentally friendly photoinitiators in the emerging 3D printing industry. Moreover, upon further development they could be used as photocatalysts also in wide spreading fields, as building blocks in various environmental, biomedical and alternative energy applications.