Printing Green: Microalgae-based materials for 3D printing with light

Microalgae offer significant advantages as a renewable resource due to their ability to fix CO2 during cultivation, rapid growth rates and the production of relevant metabolites. In particular, several microalgae accumulate lipids in high concentration, especially triglycerides, which can be used as feedstock for new high-value materials such as fuel. However, despite their great potential, microalgae remain unexplored in other fields, such as additive manufacturing. Herein, we exploit for the first time microalgae-based materials for high-resolution 3D printing using two-photon polymerization. In this study, Odontella aurita (BEA 0921B) and Tetraselmis striata (BEA 1102B) have been selected and cultivated as suitable microalgae accumulating high content of lipids. The extracts obtained from the microalgae (mainly triglycerides) have been functionalized with photopolymerizable groups and used directly as printable materials (inks). Notably, 3D printing is facilitated solely by the chlorophylls inherently contained in the microalgae extracts, without the need for further additives. We demonstrate the potential of the developed microalgae-based inks for the fabrication of complex 3D microstructures with sub-micron resolution. Furthermore, the 3D printed materials show biocompatibility. Our findings establish a new route for the next generation of sustainable, biobased, and biocompatible materials with great potential in life science applications.