Polymethyl Methacrylate

Researchers develop light-activated tattoo ink that can be switched on and off

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder, led by Carson Bruns, created a tattoo ink system called PhotoTat that uses photochromic dyes in protective nanoparticles to appear or vanish depending on light exposure. A UV LED activates the colors within seconds, and they fade under bright sunlight, while the pigment itself stays permanently embedded in the skin. The research was published October 9 in the journal Matter & Light.

livescience.com · 2026-10-11

Researchers develop foaming photopolymer method for high-resolution biomimetic printing

Scientists demonstrated a direct foam patterning (DFP) technique that creates microscale porous foam structures across five different polymer types—polycarbonate, cellulose triacetate, PET, polysulfone, and PMMA—using UV light exposure through photomasks followed by chemical development. The process relies on thioxanthone or similar photoinitiators activated by 385nm LED light, with each polymer requiring tailored solvent development steps to reveal foam structures visible in cross-sectional imaging.

nature.com · 2026-09-09