Bridging polymer architecture, printability, and properties by digital light processing of block copolycarbonates

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Sustainable Manufacturing

Background:

• Carbon dioxide-based aliphatic polycarbonates (aPCs) offer renewable feedstock and degradability.
• Modifying aPCs' mechanical properties remains a challenge for specific applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how monomer ratio and polymer architecture affect the printability and properties of aPCs.
• To explore the potential of aPCs in digital light processing (DLP) additive manufacturing.

Main Methods:

• Alternating copolymerization of epoxides with CO2 to produce aPCs.
• Digital Light Processing (DLP) additive manufacturing of aPCs with varying compositions and architectures.
• Thermomechanical property testing and hydrolytic degradation studies.

Main Results:

• Block copolymers (BCPs) showed tunable thermomechanical properties based on hard block content, ranging from elastomeric to brittle.
• Homopolymer blends failed to print, while statistical copolymers exhibited poor mechanical properties and delamination.
• BCP prints with higher hard block content degraded slower; statistical copolymers degraded slower than BCPs.

Conclusions:

• Monomer ratio and polymer architecture are critical for aPC resin printability and bulk properties.
• Polymer design offers significant potential for advancing sustainable materials in additive manufacturing.
• Tailored aPCs can be successfully fabricated into functional objects via DLP.