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Updated: Nov 13, 2025
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3D Printing and In Situ Surface Modification via Type I Photoinitiated Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Polymerization
Published on: February 18, 2022
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Reversible Deactivation Radical Polymerization: From Polymer Network Synthesis to 3D Printing.
Ali Bagheri1, Christopher M Fellows1,2, Cyrille Boyer3
1School of Science and Technology The University of New England Armidale NSW 2351 Australia.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|March 15, 2021
Summary
Reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) enables 3D printing of transformable polymer networks, overcoming limitations of conventional methods for advanced material fabrication.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Conventional 3D printing utilizes radical polymerization, offering limited control over polymer network properties.
- Radical polymerization results in 'dead' polymer chains, preventing post-printing modifications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the advantages of reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) in 3D printing.
- To enable the creation of transformable polymer materials through advanced 3D printing techniques.
Main Methods:
- Application of reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) in photopolymerization-based 3D printing.
- Fabrication of polymer networks with dormant, reactivatable species.
Main Results:
- RDRP allows for precise tuning of polymer network homogeneity and architecture.
- Production of advanced polymer materials capable of postsynthetic transformations.
- Development of concepts like living additive manufacturing and photoexpandable networks.
Conclusions:
- RDRP-based polymer networks offer significant advantages over conventional, irreversibly formed networks.
- This approach unlocks new possibilities for creating sophisticated, adaptable 3D-printed materials.
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