3D Printing Breakthroughs from BGU
January 8, 2026
Natural Sciences, Research News
Prof. Yossi Weizmann of the Department of Chemistry at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
EurekAlert!—Chemists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have developed a new class of “smart” plastic-like materials that harden only when activated by light or gentle heat. This breakthrough could simplify industrial curing, 3D printing, and repair processes. As highlighted in the recent press release, the research overturns nearly three decades of work focused on “sleeping” catalysts by introducing an entirely new approach: “latent monomers”—stable liquid building blocks that remain inactive until triggered on demand. The findings, published in Nature Chemistry, point to safer, more energy-efficient manufacturing methods with highly customizable material properties.
Rather than embedding the on/off switch in sensitive catalysts, the BGU team built it directly into the material itself. PhD student Nir Lemcoff, one of the study’s lead authors, emphasized the broader impact of the work, noting, “This work demonstrates a new way of thinking about a general problem in polymer science and will hopefully inspire scientists in the field to look at the challenges in their own work with a fresh point of view.” Using specially designed molecules called norbornadienes, the researchers created liquid monomers that remain “asleep” for weeks and then rapidly solidify when activated by light or mild heating, offering precise control over when and where plastics form.
The study was led by Prof. Yossi Weizmann of BGU’s Department of Chemistry, who explained, “Instead of a ‘sleeping’ catalyst, we created ‘sleeping’ building blocks of the material itself.” As noted, this approach enables manufacturers to store ready-to-use liquid formulations, selectively cure materials using light patterns, and significantly reduce waste and energy consumption. Beyond simple on-demand hardening, the team also demonstrated how combining active and latent building blocks can produce materials with multiple properties in a single process, opening the door to hundreds of new plastic-like materials and advanced applications across science and industry.
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