An Italian research team has developed a new stereolithographic resin based on the conductive polymer (PEDOT:PSS) and the light-curing resin PEGDA. The composite was optimized in terms of conductivity and printability. This resin has been tested to produce smart objects such as 3D-printed electrodes, sensors, transistors and, in the future, supercapacitors. To improve the resin formulation, the team is seeking manufacturing, engineering, research and funding agreements.
Details:
Polymer development is approaching a new stage of advancement where new functionalities are more effective, especially in combination with conductive polymers and nanomaterials. In this context, research into new composite materials is key to enabling the development of disruptive technologies such as additive manufacturing. Increasing electrical conductivity opens the way to a new class of objects that can be prototyped quickly and inexpensively with a high degree of customization. In addition, the industry has seen a tremendous increase in the use of additive manufacturing techniques and a development of innovative technologies.
The proposed technology is a new composite material with electrically conductive properties, a stererolithography (SL) resin based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), which provides the conductive properties, and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA). The path from material synthesis to practical utilization often takes several decades. In this regard, carbon nanotubes and/or graphene are an exhaustive example, forming the basis for a large number of device prototypes, but still lacking a real killer application leading out of the labs. The rapid prototyping approach offers the exceptional opportunity to accelerate the transition from material development to their use in well-functioning devices, while ensuring a highly repeatable manufacturing process.
The developed polymer composite for stereolithography is the basis for the development of the next generations of smart product manufacturing techniques, achieved through the use of innovative materials, enabling solutions based on the integration of electronic components (sensors, transducers or actuators) and ensuring smart functionality. Additive manufacturing processes (2PP "two-photons polymerization", FDM "fused deposition modeling", SLA "stereolithography"), combined with high-resolution pick-and-place technologies, will be able to integrate different sensors and their respective electrical connections into complex mechanical
Wanted partners/advice:
The research team is seeking partners in the following areas:
- Funds
- for grants, materials, tools for experimental setup to obtain a new resin formulation and achieve a TRL 6-7.
- Funds to cover costs for intellectual property rights, deposit of patents
- Technical collaboration
- to solve challenges such as reproducibility, long-term stability, cost efficiency
- Research collaborations
- aiming to explore synergies for national, European and international projects in materials science, industrial technologies and additive manufacturing
- Production agreements
- with MN to achieve high volume production for the resin after patenting the new formulation.
https://www.technologiepartner.de/de/technologiedatenbank/details?ref=TOJP20210623001
Further detailed information on this can be found here!