3D Printable Educational Catalysis Toys

Introduction

Our lab is developing fun educational toys that teach about how catalyst structure impacts chemical reactions on surfaces, with the goal of better communicating the science behind catalysis to next-generation scientists and engineers. We have built these projects as 3D-printable files, allowing anyone around the world to download and print. All of the files are free along with tips and tricks for getting the best quality print.

This webpage and all of the designs featured on this webpage were developed by Samantha Hoffmann, Ella Farrell, and Lucas Ellis.

Benjamin Ellis playing with the first-generation K'nex-style zeolite kit.

Brianna Ellis playing with the first-generation K'nex-style zeolite kit and Lego-style kit.

Navigate our projects:

A Lego-Style Educational Kit

A K'nex-Style Zeolite Educational Toy Kit

Face Centered Cubic (FCC) Puzzle: A Material Science Educational Toy

How to 3D Print DFT Cells: A Step-By-Step Guide

Materials & Methods

3D printing technology has come a long way, but it is still not perfect. As a result, many prints need different settings to succeed, and will need to be thoroughly cleaned from their support after printing. We highly recommend using a pair of small wire cutters and needle-nose pliers to help remove supports from your print. Despite cleaning, it is unlikely that a 3D print will ever have a perfectly smooth finish.

We use the Bambu X1 Carbon 3D printer for its reliability, ease of use, and ability to print multiple colors within a single job. Most of our models are printed using PLA Basic, which we've found to be the most consistent and dependable. However, any filament can be used, it’s just a matter of dialing in the right print settings. If you are not sure which filament to use, use PLA.

For each print, consult the tab in Thingiverse labeled "Thing details", then follow "Instructions"; this will help you determine the optimal settings for successful prints. Many of our designs implement magnets, you will also find instructions for magnet sizes in the same tab.

Bambu X1 Carbon 3D Printer

A Lego-Style Educational Kit

Link to Lego-style Nanoparticle Files

Designed at a scale of 2 mm per Å, our platinum nanoparticle models are a great tool to explain how surface geometry, particle size, and active site location influence catalytic performance. Available in four diameters, roughly 2.2-4.4 nm, and with molecules to scale, you can easily discuss structure-activity relationships central to heterogeneous catalysis. And most importantly, these nanoparticles are fun to play with.

To make our starting nanoparticle toy kit, you will need to do two 3D print jobs, each with a full build plate of 3D prints:

1st plate: Four nanoparticles & assorted molecules
2nd plate: Lego-style build plate

To further enhance your kit explore our Lego-Style Kit Accessories.

Magnetic carbon monoxide (CO) molecule snapping onto nanoparticle's magnetic active site.

Bottom of nanoparticles.

Nanoparticle on build plate.

Nanoparticle on build plate with magnetic molecules.

Nanoparticles with alkene molecules on top.

Molecules to scale with nanoparticles being poured onto catalyst.

Design in CAD, adding holes for 3mm magnets.

Design in CAD, adding lego bottom to nanoparticle design.

Lego-Style Kit Accessories

Molecules

Click here to find files for alkene molecules that are to scale with the platinum nanoparticles (2 mm=Å).

Featured:

Ethene/Ethylene
Propene/Propylene
Cis-2-Butene
Trans-2-Butene

Bimetallic Nanoparticles

This is one of our nanoparticle designs modified (within Bambu slicer) to print two colors at once creating a bimetallic nanoparticle. The different pattern of atoms on the two can be used to talk about how compositional variation at the nanoscale can impact activity, selectivity, and stability in real catalytic systems

Magnetic CO

Click here to access the magnetic molecules of CO we have created. These magnetic molecules feature hidden magnets, to accomplish this you pause the print at the correct layer height, glue the molecules in, wait for the glue to dry, and then resume the print. This creates a seamless effect which looks great, though we acknowledge its not an ideal process. These CO molecules are not to scale with the nanoparticle.

Catalyst Surface with Active Sites

Click here for this design which shows a chemical surface with active sites that pull in our magnetic molecules immediately. Be sure to check out all of our other magnetic designs using the same link. This catalyst surface is to scale with the the CO magnetic molecules.

A K'nex-Style Zeolite Educational Toy Kit

Link to K'nex-Style Zeolite Files

Our zeolite (Faujasite and A-type) models are designed to feel like toys: snappy, modular, and satisfying to build, while still accurately representing complex crystal frameworks at a scale of 4 mm per Å. This model make it easy to see zeolite pores and other molecular geometries, making abstract chemical concepts more tangible and fun to explore.

The zeolites can be created in one print job which includes:

Sodalite cages
Faujasite connectors
A-type connectors

Zeolite Accessories include:

Magnetic single sites
Magnetic Molecules (propylene, ethylene, and 2-butene)
CO with hidden magnet
Various non-magnetic Alkene Molecules

K'nex-Style Kit Accessories

Magnetic Molecules

As modeled to the right, we have created magnetic molecules that represents two molecules of propylene undergoing metathesis to form one molecule of ethylene and one molecule of 2-butene.

Magnetic Single Sites

Small pegs with built in holes for magnets slot into places on the zeolite to represent active single sites.

Molecules

Click here to find files for alkene molecules that are to scale with the platinum nanoparticles (4 mm=Å).

Featured:

Ethene/Ethylene
Propene/Propylene
Cis-2-Butene
Trans-2-Butene

Image found here

Face Centered Cubic (FCC) Puzzle: A Material Science Educational Toy

Image found here

Link to FCC cube files

Different planes of an FCC lattice structure behave differently, and talking about this and understanding the different planes is integral to understanding for some components of catalysis. With one of our FCC cubes you can easily view the geometry of the 100, 111, and 110 planes better and quicker than a picture can convey. Though our FCC cubes can be used standalone, you can also use them alongside nanoparticles to further the lesson taught by each toy.

Depending on your goals we have two FCC cube kits:

FCC Cube with Tray
FCC Puzzle Cube

We will soon be modifying both FCC cubes to have two sizes, one to scale with the nanoparticles, and one with the zeolites.

FCC Cube with Tray

Click here to check out our FCC cube. This design is held in a container, and is split on three cleaves, showing the geometry of the FCC 100, 111, and 110 planes.

FCC Puzzle with Built-In Tray

This design is a fun twist on our FCC cube. Although it sacrifices some chemical accuracy, this FCC crystal structure is a fun and surprisingly difficult puzzle that is sure to engage anyone from the ages of 1 to 101! It is self contained with a built in tray, and it still features the geometry of the plane cleaves.

Future Efforts

A project that one of our current PhD students, Dimitri Gatzios, has worked on (see: Research tab) shows how H2 can enhance propene metathesis activity by increasing the creation of active sites.

One of our next major projects is create 3D prints that model this process with showing all the stable states.

3D printers are regularly off by a fraction of a millimeter, and as a result we have found issues with inconsistent fit in our Zeolite kit connections, even with the same file on the same printer. We want improving the digital design so that it can tolerate more variance in the 3D prints for a better more consistent fit.

We are continuing to model various zeolite structures. The next target structure is ZSM-5, or Zeolite Socony Mobil-5. This has a different base than the sodalite cages we have made, but we plan on approaching it similarly.

Image found here

How to 3D Print DFT Cells: A Step-By-Step Guide

VESTA file

Sliced file (ready to 3D print)

Want a handheld model of your DFT Cell?

This guide shows you exactly how to turn digital crystal structures, like those from VESTA or DFT calculations, into physical 3D-printed models you can hold, teach with, and display.

Using just three main tools: VESTA, Autodesk Fusion 360, and Orca Slicer, you’ll learn how to simplify complex meshes, convert them to printable solids, and prepare them for printing on any standard 3D printer.

By combining open-access tools with free-for-education software, anyone with access to a basic 3D printer can create their own custom, accurate, and durable molecular models. This is especially powerful for classrooms and presentations, where being able to touch and manipulate a structure makes a big difference in interest and understanding.

The entire prosses has been thoroughly developed, documented, and tested, and is available here.

3D printed VESTA file

Meet the makers!

Samantha Hoffmann

Hello! I am a Computer Science student at OSU. I am a passionate maker, and problem solver. I love coding, sewing, CAD, plants, and all things creative. Pushing the boundaries of being creative and technical simultaneously is one of my favorite things, so working on my degree in CS, and working on this project, has been a delight. I cant wait to continue growing as I head into my junior year!

Contact: hoffsama@oregonstate.edu

Ella Farrell

Hello! I am a second-year Mechanical Engineering Student at OSU. I am a new hire with URSA Engage and have been working on this project since February 2025. I love being creative, learning new things, and working with CAD programs, so working on designing never-before-seen educational toys using CAD was right up my alley! This project improved my ability to turn abstract ideas into tangible designs, develop original models without existing references, and creatively use materials to simulate chemical interactions. It was a rewarding opportunity that strengthened both my technical and creative skills, which I plan to apply in my professional life!

Contact: farrelel@oregonstate.edu

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