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Designing Nanostructured 3D Printed Materials by Controlling Macromolecular Architecture
Xiaobing Shi1, Valentin A Bobrin1, Yin Yao2
1Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design and Australian Centre for Nanomedicine, School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|June 22, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed a new 3D printing method using multi-arm macro chain transfer agents (macroCTAs) to control nanostructured polymeric materials. This technique allows for tunable morphologies and mechanical properties in advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Controlling the morphology of nanostructured polymeric thermosets is crucial for advanced applications but remains challenging.
- Existing methods often struggle to precisely dictate nanoscale structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel method for fabricating nanostructured polymeric materials with controlled morphologies.
- To investigate the role of multi-arm macro chain transfer agents (macroCTAs) in polymerization-induced microphase separation (PIMS).
Main Methods:
- Utilized photoinduced 3D printing combined with multi-arm macroCTAs to mediate PIMS.
- Varied macroCTA arm length and architecture to influence domain size and nanoscale morphology.
- Characterized the resulting nanostructured thermosets and their mechanical properties.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that macroCTA arm length dictates the characteristic length scale of microphase-separated domains.
- Showcased that macroCTA architecture controls nanoscale morphologies, differing from linear macroCTAs.
- Achieved tunable mechanical properties in the nanostructured thermosets while preserving desired morphologies.
Conclusions:
- Multi-arm macroCTAs offer a versatile approach to precisely control nanostructure formation in polymeric thermosets.
- This method expands the range of accessible nanostructures for applications like actuators and drug delivery devices.
- The developed technique provides a pathway for designing advanced functional polymeric materials.
