The "Particles and Additive Manufacturing of Polymers" group research topics combine Photonics and Material Science, employing pulsed lasers and the possibilities that spatial and temporal pulse shaping offer to synthesize nanoparticles by ablation of a target immersed in a solvent. This technique, known as pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL) allows the generation of colloidal nanoparticles from a wide library of materials, with reduced byproducts, and solvent versatility. The generated nanoparticles with specific optical, biocidal, and /or magnetic properties are used to enhance or provide new functionalities to polymer materials employed in additive manufacturing (AM). The work developed in the group covers all the process steps, starting with the control (nanoparticle size, composition and phase) and upscaling of the nanoparticle production by PLAL to meet industrial scale application, going through ensuring homogeneous nanoparticle dispersion in the material employed for AM by stability control. And finally optimizing the processing of the novel materials by AM techniques as laser powder bed fusion, material extrusion or vat photopolymerization. The final aim is to develop novel materials with specific sensing, optoelectronic and /or magnetic performance easily and cost-effective printable into custom designs by AM.

Group members

Group leader

Dr. Doñate-Buendía, Carlos

PhD candidates

Riahi, Farbod

Tahir, Shabbir

Khairani, Inna Yusnila

Kricke, Jan Lino

Altakroury, Abdel Rahman

Bachelor and Master candidates

Student Research Assistants

Klinger, Florian

Korthaus, Nikolas 

Former students

Kricke, Jan Lino (Master thesis)

Damm, Marcel (Engineer project, Master thesis)

Klinger, Florian (Engineer project)

Richter, Jasper (Engineer project)