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Researchers have developed a colorful algae ink for 3D printing, called ArtSea Ink, which provides artists with an alternative to bio-inks that can use the medium more for creative designs and artistic works.

A team of scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) of the Department of Energy has developed an ink composed of mica pigments in alginate, a sugar derived from seaweed that can form a stable gel without heating . Although the ink will not maintain its stable form over time, it will rapidly biodegrade, so the resulting object will not generate any hazardous waste.

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ACS Omega 2021 researchers dispersed mica powder in an alginate solution to create vibrant pearlescent inks for 3D printing.

Researchers dispersed mica powder in an alginate solution to create vibrant pearlescent inks for 3D printing.

Recognizing that artists have begun to use 3D printing media as a new way of creation, and now it has evolved, the team led by PNNL researcher Anne Arnold aims to develop an alternative to commonly used polymer-based inks, and high temperature researchers say , They need to be cured into finished products. They also want inks that can be printed in different colors.

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The researchers wrote in a paper about their work published in the ACS Omega magazine: "The development and focus on the use of 3DP for art is mainly based on the use of synthetic, petrochemical-derived polymers (such as thermoplastics) as raw materials." "These thermoplastic materials usually require heating or UV treatment, so they may require dedicated printing hardware to operate. In contrast, bio-derived polymers (such as carbohydrates) used to make bio-inks-3D-printable hydrogels Substrate-usually there is no need to heat the material for 3DP."

However, although the use of bio-inks and bio-derived polymers is generally applicable to 3DP, few people pay attention to using these materials as 3D printable art media.  

Researchers are already familiar with xanthan gum (another bio-derived polymer used as a binder and thickener in acrylic latex paint) and alginic acid (a cheap and widely used bio-ink for 3D printing).

"Alginate is a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide copolymer. Like xanthan gum, it becomes a malignant gum when hydrated, and becomes firm water when cross-linked with cations (such as [unbound calcium]). gel."

Inspired by the similarity of the physicochemical properties of alginate and xanthan gum and the growing knowledge of alginate as a 3D printing bio-ink, researchers speculate that alginate can be used as a colorant binder or bonding medium. "A new art medium with high processability."

However, one thing about alginate is that it is almost colorless. In order to give it the colors needed to optimize artistic production inks, the team added mica powder to alginate to create their ink, which can be used for 2D and 3D compositing.

They said that in order to develop this ink, the researchers prepared an 8% alginate solution in water and added one of eight mica pigments of different colors, which were completely dispersed in the solution to produce a bright pearly luster color. They also found that they can control the consistency of the medium by adding more or less calcium chloride crosslinking agent.

The team demonstrated the new bio-ink by 3D printing two art examples, which they called ArtSea Ink-one is a 2D representation of a firefly, using luminous additives to depict its abdomen, and the other is a 3D display of the anatomical structure of the human brain structure.

If kept in a neutral solution of calcium chloride, the 3D structure remains stable. However, any art work created with bio-inks is not stable in the long term-this may be an advantage, because this material, unlike plastic, will quickly biodegrade if discarded.

Elizabeth Montalbano is a freelance writer who has written technical and cultural articles for more than 20 years. She has lived and worked as a professional journalist in Phoenix, San Francisco and New York City. In her free time, she likes surfing, traveling, music, yoga and cooking. She currently lives in a village on the southwest coast of Portugal.

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