Tuneable ionic control of polymeric films for inkjet based 3D printing

Inkjet printing is a powerful additive manufacturing (AM) technique to generate advanced and complex geometries. However, requirements of low viscosity and surface tension are limiting the range of functional inks available, thus hindering the development of novel applications and devices. Here, we...

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Main Authors: Karjalainen, Erno, Wales, Dominic J., Gunasekera, Deshani H.A.T, Dupont, Jairton, Licence, Peter, Wildman, Ricky D., Sans, Victor
Format: Article
Published: American Chemical Society 2018
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Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49831/
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author Karjalainen, Erno
Wales, Dominic J.
Gunasekera, Deshani H.A.T
Dupont, Jairton
Licence, Peter
Wildman, Ricky D.
Sans, Victor
author_facet Karjalainen, Erno
Wales, Dominic J.
Gunasekera, Deshani H.A.T
Dupont, Jairton
Licence, Peter
Wildman, Ricky D.
Sans, Victor
author_sort Karjalainen, Erno
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Inkjet printing is a powerful additive manufacturing (AM) technique to generate advanced and complex geometries. However, requirements of low viscosity and surface tension are limiting the range of functional inks available, thus hindering the development of novel applications and devices. Here, we report a method to synthesise materials derived from highly viscous or even solid monomers in a simple, flexible fashion and with the potential to be integrated in the printing process. Polymerisable ionic liquids (PILs) have been employed as a proof of principle due to the broad range of properties available upon fine tuning of the anion/cation pair and the high viscosity of the monomers. The method consists of the deposition and polymerization of a PIL precursor, followed sequentially by quaternisation and anion metathesis of the films. The fine control over the mechanical and superficial properties of inkjet printable polymeric films of neutral and cationic nature by post-polymerization reactions is demonstrated for the first time. A family of different polycationic materials has been generated by modification of cross-linked copolymers of butyl acrylate and vinyl imidazole with liquid solutions of functional reagents. The variation in the mechanical, thermal and surface properties of the films demonstrates the success of this approach. The same concept has been applied to a modified formulation, designed for optimal inkjet printing. This work will pave the way for a broad range of applications of inkjet printing, with a plethora of anion-cation combinations characteristic of PILs, thus enormously broadening the range of applications available in additive manufacturing.
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spelling nottingham-498312020-05-04T19:31:41Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49831/ Tuneable ionic control of polymeric films for inkjet based 3D printing Karjalainen, Erno Wales, Dominic J. Gunasekera, Deshani H.A.T Dupont, Jairton Licence, Peter Wildman, Ricky D. Sans, Victor Inkjet printing is a powerful additive manufacturing (AM) technique to generate advanced and complex geometries. However, requirements of low viscosity and surface tension are limiting the range of functional inks available, thus hindering the development of novel applications and devices. Here, we report a method to synthesise materials derived from highly viscous or even solid monomers in a simple, flexible fashion and with the potential to be integrated in the printing process. Polymerisable ionic liquids (PILs) have been employed as a proof of principle due to the broad range of properties available upon fine tuning of the anion/cation pair and the high viscosity of the monomers. The method consists of the deposition and polymerization of a PIL precursor, followed sequentially by quaternisation and anion metathesis of the films. The fine control over the mechanical and superficial properties of inkjet printable polymeric films of neutral and cationic nature by post-polymerization reactions is demonstrated for the first time. A family of different polycationic materials has been generated by modification of cross-linked copolymers of butyl acrylate and vinyl imidazole with liquid solutions of functional reagents. The variation in the mechanical, thermal and surface properties of the films demonstrates the success of this approach. The same concept has been applied to a modified formulation, designed for optimal inkjet printing. This work will pave the way for a broad range of applications of inkjet printing, with a plethora of anion-cation combinations characteristic of PILs, thus enormously broadening the range of applications available in additive manufacturing. American Chemical Society 2018-02-09 Article PeerReviewed Karjalainen, Erno, Wales, Dominic J., Gunasekera, Deshani H.A.T, Dupont, Jairton, Licence, Peter, Wildman, Ricky D. and Sans, Victor (2018) Tuneable ionic control of polymeric films for inkjet based 3D printing. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering . ISSN 2168-0485 polymeric ionic liquids inkjet 3D printing smart materials additive manufacturing mechanical properties https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b04279 doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b04279 doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b04279
spellingShingle polymeric ionic liquids
inkjet
3D printing
smart materials
additive manufacturing
mechanical properties
Karjalainen, Erno
Wales, Dominic J.
Gunasekera, Deshani H.A.T
Dupont, Jairton
Licence, Peter
Wildman, Ricky D.
Sans, Victor
Tuneable ionic control of polymeric films for inkjet based 3D printing
title Tuneable ionic control of polymeric films for inkjet based 3D printing
title_full Tuneable ionic control of polymeric films for inkjet based 3D printing
title_fullStr Tuneable ionic control of polymeric films for inkjet based 3D printing
title_full_unstemmed Tuneable ionic control of polymeric films for inkjet based 3D printing
title_short Tuneable ionic control of polymeric films for inkjet based 3D printing
title_sort tuneable ionic control of polymeric films for inkjet based 3d printing
topic polymeric ionic liquids
inkjet
3D printing
smart materials
additive manufacturing
mechanical properties
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49831/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49831/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49831/