Novel Materials for 3D Printing by Photopolymerization.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is rapidly advancing with new materials and technologies.
• A key limitation for broader applications is the scarcity of materials with novel physical properties.
• Recent research has explored new materials like ceramics, glass, shape-memory polymers, and electronics for 3D printing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent reports on novel materials for 3D printing.
• To focus on photopolymerization-based additive manufacturing due to its association with novel physicochemical properties.
• To explore new methods, monomers, and photoinitiators in photopolymerization for advanced applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on novel materials for additive manufacturing.
• Analysis of material properties across different 3D printing approaches (fused deposition modeling, binder jetting, laser sintering/melting, photopolymerization).
• In-depth examination of photopolymerization-based additive manufacturing, including new methods, monomers, and photoinitiators.

Main Results:

• Novel materials have been reported for all major 3D printing approaches.
• Photopolymerization-based approaches show the most novel physicochemical properties.
• High resolution and new properties from photopolymerization enable applications in microfluidics, biomedical devices, and soft robotics.

Conclusions:

• Photopolymerization-based additive manufacturing is crucial for developing materials with advanced properties.
• New methods, monomers, and photoinitiators are expanding the capabilities of photopolymerization.
• This enables previously inaccessible applications, including complex ceramic structures, embedded electronics, and responsive 3D objects.