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Fully Recyclable Pluripotent Networks for 3D Printing Enabled by Dissociative Dynamic Bonds
Marco Caliari1,2, Fernando Vidal1, Daniele Mantione1,3
1POLYMAT and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal 3, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20018, Spain.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|March 3, 2025
Summary
This study introduces 3D printing of dynamic thermosets using a single polymer to achieve tunable mechanical properties. This advance enables the creation of functional objects with spatially patterned mechanics for applications in soft robotics.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Additive manufacturing (AM) often requires complex multimaterial strategies for advanced properties, limiting its application.
- The one-polymer-one-property approach hinders the development of functional 3D printed objects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop mechanically tunable 3D printed dynamic thermosets from a single polymer stock.
- To overcome limitations of current AM techniques by utilizing material pluripotency.
Main Methods:
- Designed CO2-derived dissociative polymer networks compatible with fused deposition modeling (FDM).
- Utilized dynamic reaction-induced phase-separation (DRIPS) for property control.
- Employed post-printing thermal treatment to control rigid phase size and mechanical properties.
Main Results:
- Achieved a 1500x increase in modulus (2 MPa - 3 GPa) and a 35x increase in stress at break (2 - 70 MPa) from a single material.
- Demonstrated control over the size of the rigid phase through thermal treatment.
- Enabled spatially patterned mechanical properties in 3D printed objects.
Conclusions:
- Showcased a novel strategy for creating mechanically tunable 3D printed dynamic thermosets.
- This approach offers new directions for AM, with significant implications for soft robotics and compliant mechanics.
- Overcame the one-polymer-one-property limitation by leveraging material pluripotency.
