“One for more” functionalization by plant-inspired polyphenols assisted 3D printing

Abstract

In this study, we report a simple method to creatively 3D print functional devices by introducing plant-inspired polyphenols during the 3D printing process. Polyphenols have attracted great deal of interests because of their significant biological activities as well as intriguing chemical and physical properties. By assessing the compatibility of different polyphenols with 3D printing resin, two polyphenols are selected for use in this study. Herein, polyphenols can be distributed anywhere on the 3D printed objects, which makes the object surface applicable as a versatile platform for secondary reactions. A series of functional objects, with novel and potentially surface properties beyond those that have been reported, were fabricated following this thinking. Since self-polymerization of polyphenols is avoided, the proposed approach further simplifies the functionalization procedures. In addition, because polyphenol molecules are embedded into the highly cross-linking network, high mechanical stability and chemical resistance of polyphenol binding are achieved here; it can significantly expand the scope of applicability for polyphenols-integrated object to critical pH environment. To demonstrate potential applications of this method, various functional 3D devices are fabricated through deposition different metals for 3D electronics, adsorption organic components for water treatment, and grafting functional molecules for surface wetting control. In particular, this method allows in situ repairing of the damaged functional structures, which not only prolongs the lifespan of products but also solves the long-standing challenge of repairing 3D printing parts.