Photonic Crystal

youmagine

One can potentially create a three-dimensional photonic crystal for microwaves using a three-dimensional printer. Although it's uncertain whether these crystals possess a photonic band gap, attempting to do so is certainly worth exploring. It's also plausible that this design could be adapted for millimeter waves. Cura prohibited me from printing lines with a diameter of 0.4mm, so I circumvented the issue by modifying the nozzle diameter to 0.2mm in the software. The layer height was set at 0.25 mm and the printing temperature was adjusted to 220 degrees Celsius. To further refine the print settings, I altered the filament diameter within the software to produce thinner lines. Alternatively, I could have modified the flow parameter instead of changing the filament diameter. Here are the print parameters listed from left to right (mesh number, filament diameter, print speed): #1 - 1, 2.75mm, 50mm/s #2 - 1, 3.5mm, 50mm/s #3 - 1, 4.0mm, 50mm/s #4 - 1, 4.0mm, 25mm/s + double cooling #5 - 1, 4.0mm, 12mm/s + d.c. #6 - 2, 4.0mm, 25mm/s + d.c. #7 - 2, 4.0mm, 50mm/s + d.c. #8 - 2, 4.0mm, 50mm/s + d.c., with a temperature increase to 235 degrees Celsius. Interestingly, the most visually appealing crystal is #1, yet it tends to stick together and fill much of the space due to parallel lines. Upon closer inspection, however, all crystals exhibit transparency except for #1, which allows very little light to pass through. Interestingly, I can see through them in the z-axis for 7 and 8, but not for the other crystals. Although the printer struggled to create well-defined sides, the internal structure of each crystal was relatively ordered. The densities of the crystals are as follows: 0.77 g/cm2 for #1, 0.53 for #2, 0.40 for #4,5 and 6, 0.29 for #7 and 8. Notably, these crystals exhibit remarkable sturdiness, suggesting they could be used as lightweight shock absorbers. Additionally, their permeability to liquids and gases presents another advantage.