Abstract
In recent years, 3D printing, a highly promising additive manufacturing technique, has garnered significant attention as it allows the addition of fused materials layer by layer, to create intricate structures with ease and also offers the flexibility to incorporate multiple materials within the same structure simultaneously, reducing production time and costs. The versatility of 3D printing has led to its application in diverse fields, including nanotechnology. For nanotechnological applications, the manipulation of the 3D printing process to achieve specific patterns or designs is crucial for desired outcomes. As a result, continuous efforts are being made to advance the 3D printing process. Recent studies have focused on varying manufacturing process parameters to analyze their impact on the mechanical properties of 3D-printed products. Parameters such as raster width, raster angle, and printing speed have been identified as influencing factors, particularly on the strength of the printed items. An exciting development in the application of 3D printing in nanotechnology involves integrating the synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) into the 3D-printed porous structure. This innovation has opened up new possibilities, especially in fields like water treatment. The synthesis of Cu-based MOFs on 3D-printed porous PLA structures has been explored in this study, with different raster angles and air gaps. Decreasing the air gap and low raster angle have been found to increase MOF growth, and vice versa. Dispersion of MOFs reaches the maximum with an increase in air gap before starting to decrease for any further addition of air gap. Optimizing manufacturing parameters can maximize MOF availability, leading to enhanced adsorption performance for water treatment.
