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Abstract Imagine if it were possible to create 3D objects in the palm of your hand within seconds using only a single photonic chip. Although 3D printing has revolutionized the way we create in nearly every aspect of modern society, current 3D printers rely on large and complex mechanical systems to enable layer-by-layer addition of material. This limits print speed, resolution, portability, form factor, and material complexity. Although there have been recent efforts in developing novel photocuring-based 3D printers that utilize light to transform matter from liquid resins to solid objects using advanced methods, they remain reliant on bulky and complex mechanical systems. To address these limitations, we combine the fields of silicon photonics and photochemistry to propose the first chip-based 3D printer. The proposed system consists of only a single millimeter-scale photonic chip without any moving parts that emits reconfigurable visible-light holograms up into a simple stationary resin well to enable non-mechanical 3D printing. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate a stereolithography-inspired proof-of-concept version of the chip-based 3D printer using a visible-light beam-steering integrated optical phased array and visible-light-curable resin, showing 3D printing using a chip-based system for the first time. This work demonstrates the first steps towards a highly-compact, portable, and low-cost solution for the next generation of 3D printers. 

Abstract Triplet‐triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA‐UC) converts low‐energy photons to higher‐energy ones under low‐intensity incoherent excitation, thus enabling applications in fields ranging from medicine to solar energy conversion. Silylethynyl mono‐ and di‐substitution of acenes offers an attractive route to creating new annihilators that operate with minimal energy loss. Here, it is demonstrated that this approach can be extended to pyrene, yielding annihilators that display efficient red‐to‐blue upconversion. While pyrene is the namesake of P‐type delayed fluorescence, the original name for triplet‐triplet annihilation, it is known to be a poor annihilator due to its propensity for forming excimers. By tetra‐substituting pyrene with silylethynyl groups, excimer formation is substantially hindered while simultaneously minimizing the energy gap between the singlet and triplet pair states that participate in TTA‐UC, yielding outstanding annihilators for red‐to‐blue upconversion that operate with quantum yields of upward of 19% (29% when corrected for inner filter effects). Further, it is found that reducing the bulkiness of the silyl substituents is key to achieving high TTA‐UC quantum yields, which highlights the importance of annihilator side group selection when optimizing photon upconversion. 

Abstract With over 6 million tons produced annually, thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) have become ubiquitous in modern society, due to their unique combination of elasticity, toughness, and reprocessability. Nevertheless, industrial TPEs display a tradeoff between softness and strength, along with low upper service temperatures, typically ≤100 °C. This limits their utility, such as in bio‐interfacial applications where supersoft deformation is required in tandem with strength, in addition to applications that require thermal stability (e.g., encapsulation of electronics, seals/joints for aeronautics, protective clothing for firefighting, and biomedical devices that can be subjected to steam sterilization). Thus, combining softness, strength, and high thermal resistance into a single versatile TPE has remained an unmet opportunity. Through de novo design and synthesis of novel norbornene‐basedABAtriblock copolymers, this gap is filled. Ring‐opening metathesis polymerization is employed to prepare TPEs with an unprecedented combination of properties, including skin‐like moduli (<100 kPa), strength competitive with commercial TPEs (>5 MPa), and upper service temperatures akin to high‐performance plastics (≈260 °C). Furthermore, the materials are elastic, tough, reprocessable, and shelf stable (≥2 months) without incorporation of plasticizer. Structure–property relationships identified herein inform development of next‐generation TPEs that are both biologically soft yet thermomechanically durable. 

Abstract Access to multimaterial polymers with spatially localized properties and robust interfaces is anticipated to enable new capabilities in soft robotics, such as smooth actuation for advanced medical and manufacturing technologies. Here, orthogonal initiation is used to create interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) with spatial control over morphology and mechanical properties. Base catalyzes the formation of a stiff and strong polyurethane, while blue LEDs initiate the formation of a soft and elastic polyacrylate. IPN morphology is controlled by when the LED is turned “on”, with large phase separation occurring for short time delays (≈1–2 min) and a mixed morphology for longer time delays (>5 min), which is supported by dynamic mechanical analysis, small angle X‐ray scattering, and atomic force microscopy. Through tailoring morphology, tensile moduli and fracture toughness can be tuned across ≈1–2 orders of magnitude. Moreover, a simple spring model is used to explain the observed mechanical behavior. Photopatterning produces “multimorphic” materials, where morphology is spatially localized with fine precision (<100 µm), while maintaining a uniform chemical composition throughout to mitigate interfacial failure. As a final demonstration, the fabrication of hinges represents a possible use case for multimorphic materials in soft robotics.