A team of researchers from American University has used 3D printing technology to design a small handheld sponge that could have many applications, including fighting pollution. They designed a small sponge-like plastic matrix by dispersing chemically active titanium dioxide (TiO2) nano particles through the same filaments that are used in the printing process of 3D-printed figures. Their tests show that the sponge can destroy pollution. The team found that the pollutants break down when natural light interacts with TiO2, which has potential applications in the removal of pollution from air, water and agricultural sources.

To demonstrate pollution mitigation, they placed the matrix in water and added an organic molecule (pollutant). The pollutant was destroyed. Harnessing the power of 3D-printing, the researchers' are already working on printing many exotic shapes to understand how printed structure affects the chemical reactivity, said the study published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

The matrix could also have several other chemical applications.

"Its not just pollution, but there are all sorts of other chemical processes that people may be interested in. There are a variety of nano particles one could add to a polymer to print," Hartings said.