3D printing is not only a tool used to make equipment, it is also useful for creating teaching aids and is an effective way of conveying information about complex 3D structures. Shown below are a few examples of 3D prints that I have done for myself and for colleagues.
Tetrapod Carbazole
Luke O’Driscoll was examining the molecular conductance of a molecule equipped with an anchor foot able to bind to a gold surface, allowing the centre of the molecule to pivot. Here I used bearings at the joints to give free movement and conductance, an undercoat of silver paste, LEDs in the base, and magnets in both the top plate and molecule tip to make a model that would tilt and light up when a circuit was completed, similar to how it would behave in a molecular junction. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201911652
Carborane Nano-car
In the spirit of the international Nanocar race Dr Mark Fox proposed the nano-car consisting a four carborane wheels with a double phenazine body. This has two freely rotating axial allowing the vehicle to move freely.
Bismuth Atrane
One of my earliest prints. A bismuth atrane produced by Dr Dominikus Heift to examine the coordination behaviour of bismuth(III). This was an easier way to represent both his atrane and cluster structures.
New Prints
I am always on the lookout for new structures to print and build my portfolio. If you have any interesting structures you want printed please contact me.