(187n) Renewable Glycerol-Derived Methacrylate Monomers for in Situ Polymer Blend Formation in SLA 3D Printing

The growing environmental concerns associated with petroleum-based materials have intensified the search for sustainable alternatives. However, most photocurable resins used in 3D printing remain dependent on fossil-derived monomers. In this work, we report a simple and efficient synthesis of low-viscosity methacrylate resins derived from glycerol-based 1,3-diether-2-propanol compounds—renewable building blocks previously developed in our group—for application in stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing.

Beyond serving as photocurable monomers, these materials also act as solvents for thermoplastics such as polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). By dissolving PS into the resin, we successfully tuned the mechanical properties of the printed structures. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on blend preparation directly via SLA 3D printing—a significant advancement over traditional melt blending approaches, which typically rely on extrusion. This strategy enables the formation of polymer blends and semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) in a single 3D printing step.

We demonstrate how PS incorporation affects the microstructure and mechanical performance of the final materials, highlighting the potential of glycerol-derived methacrylate resins as a sustainable and versatile platform for advanced manufacturing.

Keywords: SLA 3D Printing, Glycerol-Derived Methacrylates, Sustainable Resins, Polymer Blends, Mechanical Properties