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

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将专注于理解，开发和商业化新型超软化形状记忆聚合物（SMP）系统，用作新型耳机材料。目前，诸如耳机和耳塞之类的听筒利用坚韧的半刚性聚合物，这些聚合物通常适配性差、不舒适并且必须通过常规模制技术来生产。SMP具有几个关键特性，使它们成为传统材料的有吸引力的替代品，例如它们在加热时显着软化的能力以及它们的光学固化能力。通过调整SMP体系的组成，可以根据预期的应用显著且可控地调整热机械性能，例如软化的温度和量。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。在这个项目取得成功之前，我们将开发出第一种形状记忆材料，这种材料可以通过光固化技术快速固化成复杂的三维形状，特征尺寸小于100微米，在室温和体温下都是粘弹性的，并在两者之间软化一个数量级。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是建立在这样一个事实上，即我们正在引入一种全新的技术，这将使真实的时间制造定制组件与应用特定的热机械性能。虽然该提案的总体目标是展示定制的超软化粘弹性耳机，具有上级舒适性和易于插入的音频质量，但这里开发的技术将使众多行业和整个社会受益。例如，我们设想这项技术被用于偏远地区，企业需要软化特定几何形状的弹性和粘弹性材料，如垫圈，热缩管，密封件，夹具等。此外，这项技术可以在医疗领域具有里程碑意义，使医院能够根据需要现场创建定制的生物医学设备，专为患者设计。消除从单独地点订购专业部件的需要将减少与医疗器械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来使科学界受益，这些出版物介绍了根据组成具有高度可定制的热机械性能的新型形状记忆材料，从而刺激了SMP系统和应用领域的额外研究。

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.