Overview
- Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the National University of Singapore report the technique in Nature, published January 28, 2026.
- The method uses prefabricated hollow polymer templates printed by two-photon polymerization, with a focused laser creating a local thermal gradient that drives particle-laden flow through a small opening.
- After filling the mold, the polymer template is removed to leave a free-standing structure whose particles are held together by van der Waals forces rather than chemical bonding.
- Demonstrations include microvalves that sort particles in hair-thin channels and multi-material microrobots that respond to light or external magnetic fields.
- The team positions the approach as overcoming two-photon polymerization’s material limits and enabling new microscale devices, with broader deployment beyond lab demonstrations still to come.