Additive Manufacturing of Cobalt-Based Organic Ferromagnetic Materials

Inkjet printing of magnetic materials with 3D structures has aroused a remarkable interest in recent years [1], [2]. However, patterning of ferromagnetic materials using inkjet printing is still challenging. Here, 3D magnetic components are structured using inkjet printing with ferromagnetic molecules. Cobalt based ferromagnetic organic molecules were synthesized using chemical methods as shown in Fig. 1. The synthesized molecules can be dissolved in organic solvents such as acetonitrile and dimethylformamide. These solvents are compatible with the commercial inkjet printing. The ferromagnetic nature of the synthesized organic molecules was verified by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) with the magnetization up to 0.25 emu/g as Fig. 2 shows. Taking advantage of inkjet printing, the synthesized ferromagnetic molecules can be patterned onto artificial 3D structures. Unlike dispersed nanoparticle, the completely soluble organic molecules would not face clogging issues caused by agglomeration [3]. Their microstructures and magnetic properties after inkjet printing were experimentally studied. The potential applications of these 3D printed ferromagnetic materials were also explored.