Piaoran Ye | University of Arizona (original) (raw)

Papers by Piaoran Ye

Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, Oct 9, 2018

Polymer grafted inorganic particles (PGIPs) are attractive building blocks for numerous chemical ... more Polymer grafted inorganic particles (PGIPs) are attractive building blocks for numerous chemical and material applications. Surface initiated controlled radical polymerization (SI-CRP) is a most feasible method to fabricate PGIPs. However, a conventional in-batch reaction still suffers from several disadvantages, including time-consuming purification processes, low grafting efficiency, and possible gelation problems. Herein, a facile method was demonstrated to synthesize block copolymer grafted inorganic particles, i.e., poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (PPEGMEMA)-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) grafted silica microparticles using continuous flow chemistry in an environmentally friendly aqueous media. 1608457 and NSF-1333651. The authors also acknowledge technical support from Thales Nano Inc. and Malvern Instruments Ltd. P.-F. Cao also acknowledge partial financial support by the U.S.

Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, 2017

Optica, 2021

To meet the increasing needs of high-precision glass micro-optics and address the major limitatio... more To meet the increasing needs of high-precision glass micro-optics and address the major limitations of current three-dimensional (3D) printing optics, we have developed a liquid, solvent-free, silica precursor and two-photon 3D printing process. The printed optical elements can be fully converted to transparent inorganic glass at temperatures as low as 600 C with a shrinkage rate of 17%. We have demonstrated the whole process, from material development, printing, and performance evaluation of the printed glass micro-optics. 3D printing of glass micro-optics with isotropic shrinkage, micrometer resolution, low peak-to-valley deviation ( < 100 n m ), and low surface roughness ( < 6 n m ) has been achieved. The reported technique will enable the rapid prototyping of complex glass micro-optics previously impossible using conventional glass optics fabrication processes.

Advanced Science

3D printing of optics has gained significant attention in optical industry, but most of the resea... more 3D printing of optics has gained significant attention in optical industry, but most of the research has been focused on organic polymers. In spite of recent progress in 3D printing glass, 3D printing of precision glass optics for imaging applications still faces challenges from shrinkage during printing and thermal processing, and from inadequate surface shape and quality to meet the requirements for imaging applications. This paper reports a new liquid silica resin (LSR) with higher curing speed, better mechanical properties, lower sintering temperature, and reduced shrinkage, as well as the printing process for high-precision glass optics for imaging applications. It is demonstrated that the proposed material and printing process can print almost all types of optical surfaces, including flat, spherical, aspherical, freeform, and discontinuous surfaces, with accurate surface shape and high surface quality for imaging applications. It is also demonstrated that the proposed method can print complex optical systems with multiple optical elements, completely removing the time-consuming and error-prone alignment process. Most importantly, the proposed printing method is able to print optical systems with active moving elements, significantly improving system flexibility and functionality. The printing method will enable the much-needed transformational manufacturing of complex freeform glass optics that are currently inaccessible with conventional processes.

Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, Oct 9, 2018

Polymer grafted inorganic particles (PGIPs) are attractive building blocks for numerous chemical ... more Polymer grafted inorganic particles (PGIPs) are attractive building blocks for numerous chemical and material applications. Surface initiated controlled radical polymerization (SI-CRP) is a most feasible method to fabricate PGIPs. However, a conventional in-batch reaction still suffers from several disadvantages, including time-consuming purification processes, low grafting efficiency, and possible gelation problems. Herein, a facile method was demonstrated to synthesize block copolymer grafted inorganic particles, i.e., poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (PPEGMEMA)-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) grafted silica microparticles using continuous flow chemistry in an environmentally friendly aqueous media. 1608457 and NSF-1333651. The authors also acknowledge technical support from Thales Nano Inc. and Malvern Instruments Ltd. P.-F. Cao also acknowledge partial financial support by the U.S.

Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, 2017

Optica, 2021

To meet the increasing needs of high-precision glass micro-optics and address the major limitatio... more To meet the increasing needs of high-precision glass micro-optics and address the major limitations of current three-dimensional (3D) printing optics, we have developed a liquid, solvent-free, silica precursor and two-photon 3D printing process. The printed optical elements can be fully converted to transparent inorganic glass at temperatures as low as 600 C with a shrinkage rate of 17%. We have demonstrated the whole process, from material development, printing, and performance evaluation of the printed glass micro-optics. 3D printing of glass micro-optics with isotropic shrinkage, micrometer resolution, low peak-to-valley deviation ( < 100 n m ), and low surface roughness ( < 6 n m ) has been achieved. The reported technique will enable the rapid prototyping of complex glass micro-optics previously impossible using conventional glass optics fabrication processes.

Advanced Science

3D printing of optics has gained significant attention in optical industry, but most of the resea... more 3D printing of optics has gained significant attention in optical industry, but most of the research has been focused on organic polymers. In spite of recent progress in 3D printing glass, 3D printing of precision glass optics for imaging applications still faces challenges from shrinkage during printing and thermal processing, and from inadequate surface shape and quality to meet the requirements for imaging applications. This paper reports a new liquid silica resin (LSR) with higher curing speed, better mechanical properties, lower sintering temperature, and reduced shrinkage, as well as the printing process for high-precision glass optics for imaging applications. It is demonstrated that the proposed material and printing process can print almost all types of optical surfaces, including flat, spherical, aspherical, freeform, and discontinuous surfaces, with accurate surface shape and high surface quality for imaging applications. It is also demonstrated that the proposed method can print complex optical systems with multiple optical elements, completely removing the time-consuming and error-prone alignment process. Most importantly, the proposed printing method is able to print optical systems with active moving elements, significantly improving system flexibility and functionality. The printing method will enable the much-needed transformational manufacturing of complex freeform glass optics that are currently inaccessible with conventional processes.