"Optically driven Archimedes micro-screws for micropump application"

International audienceArchimedes micro-screws have been fabricated by three-dimensional two-photon polymerization using a Nd:YAG Q-switched microchip laser at 532nm. Due to their small sizes they can be easily manipulated, and made to rotate using low power optical tweezers. Rotation rates up to 40 Hz are obtained with a laser power of 200 mW, i.e. 0.2 Hz/mW. A photo-driven micropump action in a microfluidic channel is demonstrated with a non-optimized flow rate of 6pL/min. The optofluidic properties of such type of Archimedes micro-screws are quantitatively described by the conservation of momentum that occurs when the laser photons are reflected on the helical micro-screw surface

Efficient initiators for two-photon induced polymerization in the visible range

International audienceWe present two derivatives of biphenyl or fluorene symmetrically substituted, which could initiate the two-photon absorption (TPA) photopolymerization of acrylates in the visible range. Both compounds show broadband TPA between 500 and 650 nm with cross-sections of, respectively, 30 and 80×10−50 cm4 s photon−1 at 532 nm, the photoinitiation wavelength. Threshold energies and dynamic ranges for polymerization were measured in both cases. As expected, the fluorene derivative was slightly more efficient than the biphenyl one. Our initiators appeared to be orders of magnitude more sensitive than the commercial UV ones, commonly used for TPA photopolymerization

New initiator for two-photon absorption induced polymerization with a microlaser at 1.06 μm

International audienceTwo-photon absorption (TPA) induced polymerization is a very promising way for three-dimensional (3D) microfabrication. However, the necessity to use onerous femtosecond Ti:sapphire lasers appears as a major drawback for this technology. We present a new symmetrical conjugated ketone with terminal amino groups that can initiate TPA photopolymerization of acrylates when irradiated with an inexpensive Nd-YAG microlaser. This compound shows broad band TPA between 800 nm and 1100 nm with a cross-section of 100×10−50 cm4 s photon−1 at the photoinitiation wavelength (1.06 μm). The efficiency of this new initiator is evaluated by the determination of the threshold of absorbed energy density for polymerization