Swiss scientists' new 3D printing method delivers ultra-strong materials

Researchers at EPFL have developed a novel 3D printing method that creates ultra-strong metal and ceramic materials by growing them inside a water-based hydrogel scaffold. Unlike traditional approaches that harden resin pre-infused with metal precursors using light, this technique first prints a simple hydrogel structure, which is then infused repeatedly with metal salts and chemically converted into metal-containing nanoparticles. This post-printing material infusion allows for high metal concentrations and results in dense, intricate architectures with significantly improved mechanical properties. The new materials can withstand pressures up to 20 times greater than those produced by previous methods while exhibiting only about 20% shrinkage compared to the typical 60-90%. The team demonstrated the method’s versatility by fabricating complex gyroid lattice structures from iron, silver, and copper, which are strong yet lightweight. This approach is promising for advanced applications requiring complex 3D architectures that combine strength and low weight, such as sensors, biomedical devices, and energy conversion or storage technologies. The