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Photopolymerizable semicrystalline thermoplastics resulting from thiol–ene polymerizations were formed via fast polymerizations and achieved excellent mechanical properties. These materials have been shown to produce materials desirable for additive manufacturing (3D printing), especially for recyclable printing and investment casting. However, while well-resolved prints were previously achieved with the thiol–ene thermoplastics, the remarkable elongation at break ( ε max ) and toughness ( T ) attained in bulk were not realized for 3D printed components ( ε max,bulk ∼ 790%, T bulk ∼ 102 MJ m −3 vs. ε max,print < 5%, T print < 0.5 MJ m −3 ). In this work, small concentrations (5–10 mol%) of a crosslinker were added to the original thiol–ene resin composition without sacrificing crystallization potential to achieve semicrystalline, covalently crosslinked networks with enhanced mechanical properties. Improvements in ductility and overall toughness were observed for printed crosslinked structures, and substantial mechanical augmentation was further demonstrated with post-manufacture thermal conditioning of printed materials above the melting temperature ( T m ). In some instances, this thermal conditioning to reset the crystalline component of the crosslinked prints yielded mechanical properties that were comparable or superior to its bulk counterpart ( ε max ∼ 790%, T ∼ 95 MJ m −3 ). These unique photopolymerizations and their corresponding monomer compositions exhibited concurrent polymerization and crystallization along with mechanical properties that were tunable by changes to the monomer composition, photopolymerization conditions, and post-polymerization conditioning. This is the first example of a 3D printed semicrystalline, crosslinked material with thermally tunable mechanical properties that are superior to many commercially-available resins.
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Fabrication and characterization of polycarbonate-silica filaments for 3D printing applications
Owing to its robustness, ability to achieve complex geometries, and ease of use, 3D printing has become one of the noteworthy applications in the field of engineering. Polycarbonate has become a thermoplastic of interest due to its excellent mechanical and optical properties. Especially when infused with nanosilica, polycarbonate becomes a potential candidate for 3D printing with enhanced properties. Polycarbonate nanocomposite filaments infused with AEROSIL (nanosilica) have been melt extruded with various filler loadings of 0.5, 1, and 3 wt% and are then 3D printed. The thermal analysis of the filaments has shown that thermal stability of the filaments increases with increase in filler loading. Tensile tests have shown that addition of nanosilica have enhanced the mechanical properties of the filaments as well as 3D printed films. The addition of silica in low concentrations exhibit higher transmittance of UV light, as silica restricts the mobility of polycarbonate. Despite 3D printing causing voids in bulk materials, silica at low concentration (0.5 and 1 wt%) can improve the mechanical and optical properties. These improvements are promising for applications in thin film interfaces and the automotive industry.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1735971
- PAR ID:
- 10330610
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Composite Materials
- Volume:
- 55
- Issue:
- 30
- ISSN:
- 0021-9983
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 4575 to 4584
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1177/00219983211044748
