Microalgae extracts show promise for 3D printing

Microalgae are said to be especially suitable as ‘biofactories’ to produce sustainable materials for 3D laser printing due to their high lipid and photoactive pigment content.

The team was led by Prof. Dr Eva Blasco, a scientist at the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM) at Heidelberg University, and their results are detailed in Advanced Materials.

The process involves focusing a laser beam from a two-photon 3D laser on a liquid, photoreactive resin (ink). At the focal point, the laser light activates photoinitiators and triggers a chemical reaction, causing local solidification of the ink.

To date, petrochemical-based polymers have often been used as inks for this 3D laser printing process, but microalgae show promise for this purpose due to their rapid growth rate, CO2-fixation, and biocompatibility.

“Despite their advantages, microalgae have hardly been considered as raw materials for light-based 3D printing,” Prof. Blasco said in a statement. For their experiments, the researchers selected Odontella aurita and Tetraselmis striata, which contain high levels of lipids in the form of triglycerides. The team extracted the triglycerides and functionalised them with acrylates to facilitate rapid curing under light irradiation.