In this research, the curing degree of an acrylate-based monomer using direct UV-assisted writing technology was characterized by differential photo calorimetry (Photo-DSC) to investigate the curing behavior. Triggered by the UV light, the duo function group monomer 1,6-Hexamethylene diacrylate (HDDA), photoinitiator 1173 and photoinhibitor exhibit a fast curing process. The exothermal photopolymerization reaction was performed in the isothermal mode in order to evaluate the different thermal effects that occurred during the photopolymerization process. The influences of both UV light intensity and exposure time were studied with single-factor analysis. The results obtained by photo-DSC also allow us to perform the kinetic study of the polymerization process: The results show that, for the reaction, the higher the UV intensity, the higher the curing degree together with faster curing speed. At the same time, the effect of the heat released during the exothermic reaction is negligible for the polymerization process. When increasing the exposure time, limited improvement of curing degree was shown, and the distribution is between 65–75%. The reaction enthalpy and related curing degree work as a function of time. The Avrami theory of phase change was introduced to describe the experimental data. The functions of a curing degree with light intensity and exposure time were achieved, respectively.

Achieving rapid mixing of different liquids in a short distance is important in various biochemical applications. Herein, a novel planar mixer with staggered Z-shaped baffles is proposed. Numerical investigations are carried out to evaluate its mixing ability based on mixing quality and pressure drop when the Reynolds number (Re) varies from 0.1 to 50. The Lyapunov exponent, the Poincaré map, and the vortex visualization are conducted to comprehensively analyze the chaotic state and the mixing mechanism. Results show that the proposed mixer exceeds 0.9 mixing efficiency when 0.1 ≤ Re and Re ≥ 8. As Re ≥ 8, different vortex patterns appear by changing the inlet configuration. The disturbance for fluids induced by a vortex on the mass transfer surface is not only dependent on its intensity but also related to the position of the vortex/vortex leg. The proposed planar mixer, inducing a single vortex or vortex pair with different directions, presents different mixing performance when the Re varies from 8 to 50, from which the approach of the rotating vortex that can mainly improve the mixing quality is found. This well explains the chaotic mixing behavior observed in the planar mixer with Z-shaped baffles, which to date has not been studied before. Furthermore, the micromixer is fabricated, tested, and applied for luminol–peroxide chemiluminescence detection to characterize its performance.

In this research, the effects of fumed silica (FS) on the Ultraviolet (UV)-ink rheological behavior and processing windows were discussed. Objects using different concentrations of FS inks were printed by the modified UV-Direct ink writing (DIW) printer. The function of fumed silica in the ink-based system has been verified, and the processing scope has been expended with a suitable amount of FS combined with the UV light. The results show that the combination of a suitable amount of FS with the UV-DIW system reaches fast and accurate printing with a larger processing window compared to the non-UV system. However, an excessively high concentration of FS will increase the yield stress of the ink, which also increases the requirement of extrusion unit and the die-swelling effects.

The curvature-based technique is widely used to monitor stresses in thin film-substrate structures. The fundamental theory is based on the Stoney formula and its extensions, which mostly represents the average stress in thin films. However, the characterization of incremental stresses has not been clearly described, which leads to significant limitations in its application scope. Here, a formula for the incremental stress of thin films is proposed by discretizing the film growth layer for use in arbitrary modulus and thickness ratios. In specific cases, this formula can be manifested as Stoney's and Freund's formulas. The stress of electrodeposited Ni with different current densities was measured in situ for substrates at different elastic moduli and thicknesses. The formula was proven to be a more accurate expression of the incremental stress compared with averaging using Freund's formula or from the slope method. Furthermore, the proposed formula can be applied to arbitrary modulus and thickness ratios. This method provides valuable insight to monitor stresses in thin films and paves the way for further understanding the mechanisms of stress generation.