Researches are leveraging 3D printing technology to conduct new types of experiments, specifically by turning the container used in the experiment into a reactive material.

Leroy Cronin, a chemist at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, published their work in the April 15 edition of Nature Chemistry, including the method of generating custom labware made to suit individual researchers’ needs.

Looking beyond this experiment, Cronin sees 3D printing playing a pivotal role in scientific progress:

In the distant future, Cronin envisions that researchers and perhaps even ordinary consumers could download 3D printing programs similar to smart-phone applications. Such applications might instruct the printer to create a vessel that has a pre-programmed and fully tested chemical reaction built in.

The video below highlights the work of Cronin and his colleagues.

Via Nature.