SBIR Phase I: Ultra-softening polymers from engineered thiol-based resins for additive manufacturing

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将专注于新型超软化形状记忆聚合物（SMP）系统的理解、开发和商业化，用于新型耳机材料。目前，耳机和耳塞等耳机使用坚硬的半刚性聚合物，这些聚合物通常不适合，不舒服，必须通过传统的成型技术生产。smp具有几个关键特性，使其成为传统材料的有吸引力的替代品，例如它们在加热下显着软化的能力以及它们的光学固化能力。通过调整SMP系统的组成，可以根据预期的应用显著地、可控地调整热机械性能，如温度和软化量。耳机在插入后所经历的软化将使其能够符合耳道的确切形状，从而提高舒适度和音频性能。在此项目取得成功之前，我们将开发出第一种形状记忆材料，该材料可以使用立体光刻技术快速固化成具有低于100微米特征尺寸的复杂3d形状，该材料在室温和体温下都是粘弹性的，并且在两者之间软化一个数量级。这个项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是建立在这样一个事实之上的，我们正在引入一种全新的技术，它将使具有特定应用的热机械性能的定制组件的实时制造成为可能。虽然该提案的总体目标是展示定制的超软化粘弹性耳机，具有卓越的舒适性和音频质量，易于插入，但这里开发的技术将使许多行业和整个社会受益。例如，我们设想这项技术将用于偏远地区，在那里企业需要软化特定几何形状的弹性和粘弹性材料，如垫片、热收缩管、密封件、手柄等。此外，这项技术在医疗领域可能具有里程碑意义，因为它使医院能够根据需要在现场创建专门为患者设计的定制生物医学设备。无需从单独的位置订购专用部件将减少与医疗设备植入相关的时间和成本。此外，一个成功的项目将通过提供同行评审的出版物，介绍具有高度可定制的热机械性能的新型形状记忆材料，从而促进SMP系统和应用领域的进一步研究，从而使科学界受益。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will focus on the understanding, development, and commercialization of new ultra-softening shape memory polymer (SMP) systems for use as novel earpiece materials. Currently, earpieces such as earphones and earplugs utilize tough, semi-rigid polymers that are often poor fitting, uncomfortable and must be produced via conventional molding technology. SMPs possess several key properties that render them attractive alternatives to conventional materials such as their ability to soften dramatically with heat and their ability to be optically cured. Through adjustments in the composition of SMP systems, thermomechanical properties such as the temperature and amount of softening can be significantly and controllably tailored according to the intended application. The softening that the earpieces experience after insertion will result in the ability to conform to the exact shape of the ear canal, improving comfort and audio performance. Pending success of this project, we will have developed the first shape memory material that can be rapidly cured with light into complex 3-D shapes with sub 100 micrometer feature sizes using stereolithography, which is viscoelastic at both room temperature and body temperature and softens an order of magnitude between the two. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is built around the fact that we are introducing a completely new technology which will enable real time manufacturing of custom components with application specific thermomechanical properties. While the overarching goals of this proposal are specific to demonstrating custom ultra-softening viscoelastic earpieces with superior comfort and audio quality with easy insertion, the technology developed here will benefit numerous industries and society as a whole. For example, we envision this technology being used in remote locations where businesses have need for softening elastic and viscoelastic materials in specified geometries such as gaskets, heat-shrinkable tubes, seals, grips, etc. Furthermore, this technology could be monumental in the medical field by enabling hospitals to create custom biomedical devices on-site as needed, designed specifically for the patient. Eliminating the need to order specialty parts from a separate location will reduce time and cost associated with medical device implantation. In addition, a successful project will benefit the scientific community by providing peer reviewed publications introducing novel shape memory material with highly tailorable thermomechanical properties according to composition, thus stimulating additional research in field of SMP systems and applications.