TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: A Versatile Three Dimensional Printing Approach (TOP2-257)

NASA's Technology Transfer Program solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses . THE TECHNOLOGY : NASA has developed a versatile method and associated apparatus for constructing and using a conductive filament in various applications of 3D printing. It uses an attractive polymer formulation, which exhibits low melting temperature, even when combined with conductive material, as the printing filament material. It may be used with a commercial 3D printer to generate custom 3D conductive geometries such as integrated circuitries, electrical connectors, supercapacitors, and flow cell batteries. This invention can be used to create conductive, piezoelectric or multifunctional materials using three dimensional printing, with relatively low melt or glass transition temperatures. This invention should be useful wherever such materials are needed, with modest fabrication costs. Several design challenges have hindered use of conductive materials in commercial 3D printing. One such obstacle is the heating requirements for formation of an object to be fabricated using a 3D printing approach. Conductive materials and additives often have relatively high melting temperatures, usually above 250 degree Celsius (C) and above the melt temperatures of plastic filaments, such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene and Polylactic Acid that are often extruded by 3D printers. This requires substantial energy input and requires heavy thermal insulation to minimize loss of the heat energy. Another obstacle is fabrication of the conductive filament itself. This invention from NASA embodies: (a) Polycaprolactone ( (C6H10O2)n, referred to as "PCL"), an attractive polymeric material for use in forming a conductive filament. PCL is biodegradable, with a melt temperature of T(melt) = 60 degree C, has good resistance to presence of water, oil, solvent and/or chlorine, and does not produce an abundance of toxins when heated. (b) A filament extruder, that includes PCL and carbon black powder or graphene, which is conductive and has a relatively low melt temperature. (c) A flow cell battery that is 3D printed using vanadium-based material. And, (d) a honeycomb structure that is formed using 3D printing of silk fibroin and/or chitosan hydrogels into biocompatible polymer networks, which can further be used as supporting framework in 3D bioprinting. To express interest in this opportunity, please submit a license application through NASA's Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TOP2-257 If you have any questions, please contact Ames Research Center [email protected] with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at https://technology.nasa.gov/ These responses are provided to members of NASA's Technology Transfer Program for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice .