Multiphoton Lithography of Interpenetrating Polymer Networks for Tailored Microstructure Thermal and Micromechanical Properties

Multiphoton lithography (MPL) is revolutionizing 3D microfabrication with significant potential in adaptronics, microoptics and in biomedical fields, such as drug delivery and tissue engineering. Our latest research introduces advanced MPL materials based on interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs), which combine the benefits of acrylate and epoxy systems. By adjusting the component ratios, the performance and structural integrity of these materials were enhanced under various conditions. High-resolution evaluations showed that manipulating the MPL laser settings and photoinitiator content can finely tune the IPN properties, resulting in a library of 3D microstructures with exceptional stability and tailored thermal and micromechanical characteristics. Notably, the new IPNs exhibit Young’s moduli of 3–4 MPa and highly to fully elastic responses, making them promising materials for morphable microsystems, soft micro-robotics, and cell engineering..

Multiphoton Lithography of Interpenetrating Polymer Networks for Tailored Microstructure Thermal and Micromechanical Properties
D. Silbernagl, P. Szymoniak, Z. Tavasolyzadeh, H. Sturm, I. Topolniak
published in Small 2024, 2310580