Title:
Advances and application of two-photon polymerization
Abstract:
Two-photon polymerization (TPP) has evolved into a key enabling technology for high-resolution three-dimensional microfabrication, finding widespread adoption across research laboratories and industry alike. At the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), TPP has become a versatile platform for the rapid prototyping and fabrication of complex micro- and nano-scale structures tailored to a broad range of scientific and technological applications.
This talk will provide an overview of the development, evolution, and current capabilities of TPP at INL, highlighting both the technological progress achieved with custom-built solutions and the diverse application areas explored over recent years.
Examples from the biomedical field will include the fabrication of three-dimensional cell scaffolds for tissue engineering, multivoxel fabrication, combination of fluorescence microscopy and TPP fabrication on a single platform, as well as functionalized and grafted scaffold architectures designed for integrated sensing and biointerface applications.
The talk will further explore the use of TPP in photonics, enabling the fabrication of intricate optical components such as waveguides with sub-micron precision where the design has been optimized through simulation. Furthermore, the presentation will also showcase the processing of smart photoactive and functional materials, enabling the creation of novel microstructures with photo switching capabilities.
Finally, the presentation will discuss future perspectives for TPP at INL, including emerging research directions, ongoing technological developments, and opportunities for expanding the capabilities of additive microfabrication toward next-generation biomedical, sensing, and photonic technologies.
Dr. Christian Maibohm
Christian Maibohm has a BSc (2003) and MSc (2005) in physics and applied mathematics from the University of Southern Denmark, Odense. His early research training included participation in the EU FASTNet program (2005–2007) as a pre‑doctoral researcher at the University of Siena, Italy. In 2010, he obtained a PhD in Physics and nanotechnology from the University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg, and the Institut für Reine und Angewandte Chemie /Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany. He continued with postdoctoral appointments at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) from 2010 to 2013, working on an FP7/EU‑funded photonics project, and later at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) from 2013 to 2016 on a nationally funded research program. He joined the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Braga, Portugal, in 2016 as a research fellow and was promoted to staff researcher/research scientist in 2020, with tenure in 2024. At INL, he has established and expanded the institute’s capabilities in Two‑Photon Polymerisation (TPP) for high‑resolution 3D microfabrication and has evolved into a strategically important platform at INL, enabling photonic device fabrication, 3D micro‑structuring, and precise integration of polymeric components. Furthermore, he has also strengthened INL’s infrastructure in advanced multiphoton microscopy, developing new imaging protocols and analytical approaches that support a broad range of scientific and technological applications. He has been co‑PI of the PRR Health for Portugal project, contributing his expertise in optical processes and has played key roles in two major European pilot‑line initiatives hosted at INL—APECS and DIREQT—helping define their photonic fabrication strategies and ensuring that INL’s capabilities align with Europe’s roadmap for next‑generation micro‑ and nanofabrication infrastructures. In addition, he has contributed to ongoing funded projects at INL, including ALADDIN, SMARTgNOSTICS, and LEARN, where he provides specialised knowledge in nonlinear optics, advanced imaging, and light–matter interactions.