(177u) Interfacial Photopolymerization: A Novel Sustainable Approach for High-Resolution UV Photoprinting of Polymeric Materials

UV printing of photopolymers holds immense potential for scalable manufacturing of polymeric materials with customized geometries and surface topographies due to its exceptional resolution and throughput. However, existing printable photopolymers predominantly consist of thermosets, leading to challenges in postprocessing such as surface finishing and recycling. Therefore, there is a demand for a photoprinting method that offers high resolution, high throughput, attractive mechanical properties, and potential recyclability.

In this work, we introduce a novel UV photoprinting technique, termed interfacial photopolymerization (IPP), to address these challenges. In IPP, a polymer film is created at the interface between two immiscible liquids: an organic phase containing a chain-growth monomer and an aqueous phase containing a photoinitiator. We demonstrate the incorporation of IPP into a proof-of-concept projection system for printing polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) films. Furthermore, we showcase the adaptability of IPP for multi-layer printing, suggesting its prospective application in light-based 3D printing of mechanically recyclable linear chain polymers.