Abstract
Additive manufacturing has significantly changed polymer science and technology by engineering complex material shapes and compositions. With the advent of dynamic properties in polymeric materials as a fundamental principle to achieve, e.g., self-healing properties, the use of supramolecular chemistry as a tool for molecular ordering has become important. By adjusting molecular nanoscopic (supramolecular) bonds in polymers, rheological properties, immanent for 3D printing, can be adjusted, resulting in shape persistence and improved printing. We here review recent progress in the 3D printing of supramolecular polymers, with a focus on fused deposition modelling (FDM) to overcome some of its limitations still being present up to date and open perspectives for their application.
Highlights
The area of 3D printing of polymers combines different aspects in polymer science, requiring precise knowledge of molecular sciences, melt rheology, and thermal properties, as well as a detailed knowledge of inter- and intramolecular interactions
A third principle important in many supramolecular polymers is the formation of transient networks, formed by hydrogen bonds inside a thermoplastic polymer, which leads to supramolecular transient crosslinking between the chains (Figure 3C), in turn increasing melt viscosity and elasticity, able to facilitate 3D printing of such polymers (Reppel et al, 2013; Döhler et al, 2020)
The results demonstrate the potential of supramolecular polymers to obtain a high printing quality with advantageous interfilament connection at the optimal printing temperature (Figure 6A) (Ritzen et al, 2021)
Summary
The area of 3D printing of polymers combines different aspects in polymer science, requiring precise knowledge of molecular sciences, melt rheology, and thermal properties, as well as a detailed knowledge of inter- and intramolecular interactions. Mechanical and thermal properties of these self-assembled materials, are strongly influenced by the nature and amount of non-covalent bonds and their interactions (such as supramolecular hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, metal complexation, and ionic interactions).
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