47: Sustainable sourced resin based on Polyglycerol for stereolithography 3D printing

Sustainable sourced resin based on Polyglycerol for stereolithography 3D printing

Katherine George ^1*, Eduards Krumins ¹, Yinfeng He ¹,Vincenzo Taresco ², Ricky D. Wildman ¹, Valentina Cuzzucoli Crucitti ¹, Joel Segal ¹

1 Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

 2 School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

*katherine.george@nottingham.ac.uk

Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, also known as 3D-printing, have been widely recognised as promising technology for rapid production of novels, personalised drug-delivery systems, scaffolds for biofabrication, and food applications (1). Rapid advancements in AM technology demand the development of advanced polymeric materials for personalised 3D-printed devices to enter clinical use. Although there has been promising progress in identifying new materials for 3D-printing, the range of resins/polymers available is still limited, (2) with big reliance on petroleum-derived materials.

 Therefore, new materials that are renewably sourced and biodegradable are desirable for expanding applicability and recyclability. (3) Polymer synthesis and manufacturing processes based on molecules derived from bio-renewable resources has soared steadily with varied attempts to reduce waste of final products. Specifically, glycerol, a readily available waste product from biodiesel processing that is highly functionalised since bearing three hydroxyl groups. Glycerol global production has been predicted to exceed 4 billion litres by 2026 (4).

 We previously reported that an acrylated glycerol-based oligomer, polyglycerol-6-acrylate, fulfils all the necessary criteria for volumetric printing (transparency, photo-reactivity, viscosity) and was successfully used to print a variety of models with intricate geometries and good resolution (Figure 1). (2) In the present work, we want to expand the use of (meth)acrylated-polyglycerols (4 and 6 units of glycerol) and their blends in Stereolithography (SLA), as this technique presents numerous advantages. SLA has the capability to generate thin features (≃ 10 µm), can reach intricate geometries, with high reliability (5) and reduced waste production.

Figure 1, Polyglcyerol-4-acrylate SLA printed rook

References

[1]    M. Shahbazi, et al., ACS Appl. Bio Mater., 2021, 4, 1, 325–369. DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.0c01379

[2]    E. Krumins and J.C. Lentz, et, al., Green Chem, 2024, 26, 1345-1355. DOI: 10.1039/d3gc03607c

[3]    T. O. Machado, et al., Nature, 2024, 629, 1069–1074. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07399-9

[4]    C. C. Chong, et al., Environ. Technol. Innov., 2020, 19, 100859. DOI: 10.1016/j.eti.2020.100859

[5]    T. D. Ngo, et al., Compos. Part B, 2018, 143, 172-196. DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.02.012