Sustainable Additive Manufacturing of Polyelectrolyte Photopolymer Complexes

Published

January 29, 2023

Author(s)

Thomas Kolibaba, Jason Killgore, Callie Higgins

Abstract

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), assemblies of oppositely charged polymers with powerful properties and wide-ranging applications, are currently not melt-processable via any conventional means and have been limited commercially to applications only as coatings. Here, a unique strategy of pairing a polycation with an oppositely charged, photopolymerizable monomer is employed. Vat photopolymerization of this mixture yields 3-dimensional spatial control over PECs for the first time. The properties of these 3D printed PECs are evaluated and are found to be similar to conventionally studied PEC materials. The water-sensitivity of the PEC parts is adjustable through the incorporation of a small amount of covalent crosslinker, highlighting potential future applications of these materials in 4D printing. Finally, the recyclability of the additively manufactured PECs is demonstrated through the dissolution of a printed part and its incorporation into virgin resin to yield a part composed of partially recycled material. This chemistry has the potential to dramatically expand the application space of PEC materials and is a step towards a more circular economy for the field of additive manufacturing.

Citation

Advanced Materials Technologies

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202201681

Local Download

Keywords

polyethylenimine, methacrylic acid, vat photopolymerization, stereolithography, digital light processing, circular economy, recyclability

Citation

Kolibaba, T. , Killgore, J. and Higgins, C. (2023), Sustainable Additive Manufacturing of Polyelectrolyte Photopolymer Complexes, Advanced Materials Technologies, [online], https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202201681, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=935296 (Accessed October 27, 2025)