MOSCOW, 7th April, 2025 (WAM) -- Specialists at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) have developed the world's first dry spray printer designed to create various micro-sized objects.
The new technology allows for the printing of plasmonic structures, a type of light amplifier, which enables the detection of the smallest traces of matter when examining samples using Raman spectroscopy.
This capability is of great importance for forensic research, the study of art objects, archaeological finds and other scientific research. The development has no analogues.
"The analysis of sample composition is carried out through Raman spectroscopy, which identifies substances based on their interaction with light. This effect can be enhanced using the plasmonic structures we print. In essence, we are creating a signal amplifier. Without it, small amounts of substances remain invisible, but with our structures, they become visible," said Vladislav Borisov, a researcher at the MIPT Functional Materials Testing Centre.
The printer can also be used to print microelectronics boards with a track width the size of a human hair. In the production of photodetectors, the printer allows the application of additional quantum dots to significantly increase the sensitivity of the elements.