The Hebrew University team has developed the first binder-free method for 3D printing glass, using light to trigger a chemical reaction that directly forms silica structures without the need for organic additives or extreme heat. This breakthrough makes glass printing faster, cleaner, and more precise, with potential to revolutionize fields from optics to medicine by enabling custom, high-performance glass components that were previously impossible to manufacture.

For centuries, glassmaking has been a craft of fire, sand, and patience. But in the digital era, researchers are turning to 3D printing to design glass objects with shapes and functions unimaginable in a traditional furnace. The challenge? Until now, nearly all glass-printing methods required chemical “glues” — organic binders that complicate the process and limit what’s possible.

A research team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has now solved that problem. In a study just published in Materials Today, scientists Amir Reisinger, Natanel Jarach, and Prof. Shlomo Magdassi of the Institute of Chemistry present a binder-free method for 3D printing silica glass. Their approach eliminates organic additives, sidestepping the energy-intensive and wasteful steps that have long hampered glass 3D printing.

Glass is more than windows and bottles — it is fundamental to modern technology. From fiber optics that carry internet traffic to microfluidic chips in medical diagnostics, glass’s transparency, durability, and chemical stability make it indispensable.

3D printing promised to take these properties further by enabling tailor-made glass components with intricate geometries. But until now, such work has relied on organic binders that must later be burned out, often causing cracks, shrinkage, or loss of resolution.

The team developed a photo-induced inorganic sol-gel reaction as an alternative. When exposed to light, their material undergoes a controlled chemical transformation, solidifying without the need for binders.

Key advances include:

• Commercial compatibility: Works with standard digital light processing (DLP) printers.
• Scalability: Produces centimeter-scale silica objects, not just tiny prototypes.
• Sustainability: Avoids the high temperatures and chemical waste of conventional methods.
• Performance: Results in porous glass with moderate transparency after a simple 250 °C treatment — far lower than the >1000 °C typical in glassmaking.

The method could accelerate innovations in:

• Optics — customizable micro-lenses, filters, and waveguides.
• Biomedical engineering — implantable devices, scaffolds, and lab-on-a-chip platforms.
• Microfluidics — precision glass channels for drug testing and chemical research.

“Glass is one of humanity’s oldest materials, but this approach brings it into the 21st century,” said Prof. Magdassi. “By making glass 3D printing cleaner and more versatile, we’re opening the door to applications that touch every aspect of modern life.”