The research teams of Laurene Tetard, professor of physics at UCF, and Richard Blair, researcher professor at UCF’s Florida Space Institute, have discovered how to produce strong micro and nanofibers of carbon at room temperature, which can be implemented in a unique 3D printing process they have developed.
The team’s research, published in Nature Communications, studies how when exposed to light, boron-based catalysts can break down hydrocarbons into their component elements, such as hydrogen and carbon. Blair says that while carbon printing is common, their team has unexpectedly discovered an approach mild enough to print carbon fibers onto easily damaged materials like cotton.
“What’s exciting about this is that we’re essentially 3D printing carbon structures at room temperature,” Blair says. “This has been done before, but usually at very high temperatures. We’re able to do it at much lower temperatures and even on flexible materials like fabric.”
He says that this was not the team’s initial focus; the research team was originally researching catalysts for converting propylene into propane. By analyzing the catalyst surface exposed to the gas propylene with a laser, the researchers expected to gain insight into the reaction studied.
Fernand Torres-Davila ’17MS ’16PhD, a UCF graduate student who had since completed a doctorate in Physics, was conducting spectroscopic analysis when he noticed black spots forming under the laser, which were initially attributed to the decomposition of the catalyst surface. However, upon further investigation, the marks turned out to be carbon formed by the breakdown of propylene adsorbed on the surface.
“We realized there’s no catalyst decomposition pathway that would make those black spots,” Blair says. “We were breaking the gas down into its component parts: hydrogen and carbon.”
Collaboration has been key to the process. Blair says with the help and patience of Tetard, they were able to create three-dimensional carbon structures with a laser, similar to certain types of 3D printers.
“We were looking at the hydrogen component, and my colleague, Dr. Tetard, noticed that as she focused the laser, interesting shapes were forming,” he says. “She moved the laser up from the surface, and the shapes would grow following the laser.”
Tetard and her research team offered their perspective on the discovery.
“Both of our teams have collaborated closely on this work. My group’s focus is more on the small-scale manipulation and understanding of the processes using nanoscale imaging and spectroscopy tools,” Tetard says. “These complement the efforts from all the other authors and contributors well. Each brings their unique perspectives in presenting this special project of carbon growth using 3D printing technology.”
Tetard shares that this collaboration has opened the door to new ways to implement catalysts to improve efficiency.
“Catalysis is important to achieve a lot of chemical transformations that are necessary for our society,” Tetard says. “Producing carbon without significant energy consumption is crucial in today’s context. This approach uses a catalyst engineered by Dr. Blair, which enables a new type of catalytic process that reduces the amount of energy required to grow carbon. One consequence of our work is that printing structures made of carbon in 3D becomes possible, opening the door to many new applications.”
Along with the discovery of sustainable and resilient carbon growth, Blair says it was discovered that these carbon structures are electrically conductive and biologically compatible.
“These carbon structures can interface with biological systems without killing them,” he says. “We’ve seen that electrodes made from these materials can be inserted into living cells without causing cell death. This allows the electrical processes in a cell to be monitored in vivo. It may also enable direct interface between electronic and biologic systems.”
Tetard says they are looking for more ways to implement carbon into their continuing research.
“This project has been endearing because we observed many unexpected processes,” Tetard says. Unfolding all the details has been challenging but rewarding. We are still working on this project to present some other aspects of the processes at play during carbon growth, and to explore the properties of the carbon products.
Tetard says she is grateful for the collaborative efforts of her and Blair’s research teams.
“None of this research could be done without the undergraduate and graduate students, who were key to the realization of the project,” she says.
