UV assisted photo reactive polyether‐polyesteramide resin for future applications in 3D printing

Abstract

AbstractAmong additive manufacturing, photocuring 3D printing technologies are very relevant because of its high printing speed and high precision. However, the limited performance of photosensitive thermoset polymers is the bottleneck for the application of photocuring 3D printing in some fields, particularly in the biomedical sector. Thus, the development of biodegradable and biocompatible materials is highly desirable and of utmost importance. In this work, a biodegradable and non‐cytotoxic thermoset polymer for photocuring 3D printing is reported. It consists of an unsaturated polyesteramide bearing phenylalanine, 2‐butene‐1,4‐diol and fumarate building blocks, which is photocured under UV irradiation using a low molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate as crosslinker. The main characteristics of the new thermoset are: (1) very high volumetric and mechanical integrity stabilities, comparable to that of photocured epoxides; (2) very high degradation temperature; (3) very low water absorption capacity; (4) relatively fast enzymatic degradation, reaching 16.5% after 3 months; and (5) non‐cytotoxic response in presence of epithelial cells, even when soluble molecular fragments coming from biodegradation are considered. These properties favor the future utilization of the new polyether‐polyesteramide resin in the manufacturing of more sustainable products via 3D printing methods, such as stereolithography, that uses UV sources.