On-Demand Tunability of Microphase Separation Structure of 3D Printing Material by Reversible Addition/Fragmentation...

Area of Science:

• Polymer Science
• Materials Science
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Controlling phase-separated structures in polymer alloys is key to tailoring material properties.
• Fabricating these structures via 3D printing is challenging, with limited methods for on-demand control.
• Phase separation in polymer blends is crucial for advanced material design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a 3D printing method for on-demand control of polymer alloy phase separation.
• To investigate the influence of laser scanning speed and macro-RAFT agents on morphology.
• To achieve heterogeneous structures with tunable properties and precise shapes in 3D-printed parts.

Main Methods:

• Utilized laser-scanning stereolithography, a vat photopolymerization technique.
• Employed polymerization-induced microphase separation by varying laser scanning speed.
• Used macro-reversible addition/fragmentation chain transfer (macro-RAFT) agents with varying molar masses and multiarmed structures.

Main Results:

• Achieved diverse phase-separated morphologies, including sea-island and reverse sea-island structures.
• Demonstrated control over heterogeneous structures with distinct material properties by adjusting laser scanning speed.
• Successfully fabricated 3D-printed parts with desired shapes through shape correction to mitigate shrinkage effects.

Conclusions:

• Laser-scanning stereolithography offers a versatile platform for controlling polymer alloy morphology in 3D printing.
• On-demand phase separation can be achieved by tuning laser scanning speed and RAFT agent characteristics.
• The developed method enables the creation of 3D-printed materials with tailored properties and precise geometric control.