Collaborative Research: Interfacial Photopolymerization (IPP): A Method For High-Resolution Digital Printing Of Thermoplastics

合作研究：界面光聚合（IPP）：一种热塑性塑料高分辨率数字印刷方法

• 批准号: 2114316
• 负责人: Megan Creighton
• 金额: $ 29.8万
• 依托单位: Drexel University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2114316&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Interfacial; Photopolymerization; IPP

Additive manufacturing (AM) encompasses many technologies used to produce objects by successive addition of material in a layer-by-layer manner. Currently, AM techniques for thermoplastic polymers rely on local heating to melt and reshape the material. AM processes that form objects by photopolymerization rely on an intrinsic crosslinking mechanism in thermoset polymers. These photopolymerization AM methods can produce parts with superior surface finish and detail relative to the methods available for thermoplastics, but these attributes come at the expense of compatibility with large-scale recycling processes. This award will support research on the first AM technique for recyclable thermoplastic materials that utilizes photopolymerization, called Interfacial Photopolymerization (IPP). This work combines fundamental materials science and manufacturing scale-up to enable the digital production of intricate, high resolution thermoplastic objects using commercially available feedstock materials. This work will have economic and environmental benefits by opening new applications in automotive, aerospace, consumer, and medical device industries that use recyclable plastics, which is a vital contribution to the sustainability of our world. In IPP, the polymerization process and resolution are controlled by a LED light source, which is focused at the reaction zone located at or near a planar liquid-liquid interface. Realization of this technology requires a detailed investigation into fundamental transport and reaction kinetics, light management conditions, and chemical thermodynamics to elucidate the governing physical mechanisms for polymer formation and the role they play in final print quality (e.g., resolution, interlayer adhesion, mechanical properties). A macrokinetic model of the diffusion and precipitation at the interface will be developed to establish quantitative understanding of how single layers form in IPP and the fundamental limits and parameter tradeoffs, and a custom-built projector-based 3D printer will be used to fabricate demonstration objects. Data on process and material performance will be integrated into cost models to compare IPP to AM and injection molding methods for polymer manufacturing and evaluate the economic viability of IPP at industrial scale.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

增材制造（AM）包括许多用于通过以逐层方式连续添加材料来生产物体的技术。目前，用于热塑性聚合物的AM技术依赖于局部加热来熔化和重塑材料。通过光聚合形成物体的AM方法依赖于热固性聚合物中的固有交联机制。这些光聚合AM方法可以生产相对于热塑性塑料可用的方法具有上级表面光洁度和细节的部件，但这些属性是以与大规模回收工艺兼容为代价的。该奖项将支持第一项利用光聚合的可回收热塑性材料AM技术的研究，称为界面光聚合（IPP）。这项工作结合了基础材料科学和制造规模扩大，使复杂的，高分辨率的热塑性物体的数字化生产使用市售的原料材料。这项工作将通过在汽车，航空航天，消费品和医疗器械行业中开辟使用可回收塑料的新应用而产生经济和环境效益，这对我们世界的可持续性做出了重要贡献。在IPP中，聚合过程和分辨率由LED光源控制，该LED光源聚焦在位于平面液-液界面处或附近的反应区。该技术的实现需要对基本的传输和反应动力学、光管理条件和化学热力学进行详细的研究，以阐明聚合物形成的控制物理机制以及它们在最终打印质量中所起的作用（例如，分辨率、层间粘附性、机械性能）。将开发界面处扩散和沉淀的宏观动力学模型，以建立对IPP中单层如何形成以及基本限制和参数权衡的定量理解，并将使用定制的基于投影仪的3D打印机制造演示对象。工艺和材料性能的数据将被集成到成本模型中，以比较IPP与AM和注塑方法在聚合物制造中的应用，并评估IPP在工业规模上的经济可行性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。