Incorporating Materials Chemistry and CAD into the High School Chemistry Curriculum via 3D Printing and TiO2 Nanotube Fabrication

An increased reliance on nanotechnology and recent developments in materials fabrication coincide with a greater prevalence of 3D printers in high schools. We developed this lesson to foster an exploration of interdisciplinary fields and to increase access to recent advances in materials chemistry through two different learning modules. The lab focuses on designing a 3D-printable guide to assist in consistent and reproducible growth of TiO2 nanotubes. The first module involves the collaborative and rapid prototyping of a 3D-printed template, and the second module is focused on implementing the designs from the first module to grow TiO2 nanotubes in a lab environment. The advantages to this approach include the utilization of widespread technologies and the usage of common laboratory reagents. This lesson has been tested in the high school classroom, and it was found that its implementation is suitable for both high school and early undergraduate laboratories.