Date of Submission
Spring 2023
Academic Program
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Project Advisor 1
Chris LaFratta
Project Advisor 2
Matthew Greenberg
Abstract/Artist's Statement
Direct laser writing (DLW) has emerged as a powerful technique for fabricating high-resolution, three-dimensional structures in various fields, including microfabrication, optics, and biomedical engineering. The photopolymerization process, a key aspect of DLW, relies on the precise control of reaction kinetics and spatial confinement of the polymerization to achieve optimal resolution and structural complexity. In this paper, we report the synthesis of a novel photoinitiator system incorporating a radical quencher to enhance the control over the photopolymerization process in DLW applications.
The photoinitiator system was designed to work synergistically with the radical quencher, providing a delicate balance between initiation and inhibition. This balance ensures that polymerization occurs only within the focal volume of the laser beam, preventing undesired crosslinking and thermal effects, which can compromise structural integrity and resolution. The radical quencher was synthesized and optimized to exhibit superior reactivity and selectivity, effectively quenching the generated radicals and controlling the rate of polymerization. We systematically investigated the performance of the synthesized photoinitiator-radical quencher system in various DLW settings, evaluating its impact on reaction kinetics and spatial resolution of the formed polymer.
Our findings demonstrate that the addition of an inhibitor significantly improves the overall control of the photopolymerization process, resulting in high-resolution, intricate structures with desirable mechanical properties. The developed photoinitiator system incorporating a radical quencher shows great potential for advancing the capabilities and applications of direct laser writing techniques in diverse fields.
Open Access Agreement
On-Campus only
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Dollard, Anders Bergeson, "Synthesis of a Novel Photoinitiator Incorporating a Radical Quencher for Direct Laser Writing" (2023). Senior Projects Spring 2023. 48.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2023/48
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