Researchers from Zhejiang University have developed 3D photo-printable resin chemistry that yields an elastomer with tensile strength of 94.6 MPa and toughness of 310.4 MJ m^-3—both of which far exceed that of any 3D printed elastomer. A paper on their work is published in the journal Nature.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as an attractive manufacturing technique because of its exceptional freedom in accessing geometrically complex customizable products. Its potential for mass manufacturing, however, is hampered by its low manufacturing efficiency (print speed) and insufficient product quality (mechanical properties).

Recent progresses in ultra-fast 3D printing of photo-polymers have alleviated the issue of manufacturing efficiency, but the mechanical performance of typical printed polymers still falls far behind what is achievable with conventional processing techniques. This is because of the printing requirements that restrict the molecular design towards achieving high mechanical performance.

—Fang et al.

The dynamic covalent bonds in the printed polymer allow network topological reconfiguration. This facilitates the formation of hierarchical hydrogen bonds (in particular, amide hydrogen bonds), micro-phase separation and interpenetration architecture, which contribute synergistically to superior mechanical performance, the researchers found.

Resources

• Fang Z, Mu H, Sun Z, Zhang K, Zhang A, Chen J, Zheng N, Zhao Q, Yang X, Liu F, Wu J, Xie T. 3D printable elastomers with exceptional strength and toughness. Nature. 2024 doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07588-6