Synthesis and characterization of photo-crosslinkable coumarin-based Poly(lactic acid) as a promising material for 3D printing applications

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biopolymer that resembles oil-based plastics in its mechanical properties. However, in manufacturing techniques such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), the inherent characteristics of the process led to a reduction in the mechanical properties of PLA-based pieces. To im...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Pagés Llobet, Antoni, Julián, Fernando, Espinach, Francesc Xavier, Ventura Casellas, Heura|||0000-0003-3654-618X, Oliver Ortega, Helena|||0000-0002-9398-8112, Méndez, José Alberto
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/426508
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/426508
https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00067
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Poly(lactic acid)
Fused deposition modeling (FDM)
Polymer grafting
Photo-cross-linking
Crystallinity
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria dels materials
Descrição
Resumo:Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biopolymer that resembles oil-based plastics in its mechanical properties. However, in manufacturing techniques such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), the inherent characteristics of the process led to a reduction in the mechanical properties of PLA-based pieces. To improve the material performance, one strategy is photo-cross-linking PLA chains. Functionalization of PLA requires grafting a molecule capable of reacting with it and ultimately cross-linking the polymeric chains. In this research, methacrylate coumarin was incorporated into PLA via free-radical grafting under reactive extrusion conditions for 5 min. The highest grafting degree value was 0.7% after the addition of 10 and 5 wt % coumarin and dicumylperoxide, respectively. Thereafter, a thin film of the material was ultraviolet (UV)-exposed for 48 h, and photo-cross-linking was confirmed with a gel formation of 16.9%. As a result, the thermal stability and melt strength of pure PLA increased by 7 °C and 1 order of magnitude, respectively. Finally, the tensile properties were evaluated by printing 3D specimens. Photo-cross-linked films were blended with nonirradiated coumarin-based PLA to obtain high infill density values (89% ± 0.8). The mechanical strength (17.8%) and stiffness (26%) of the neat PLA were enhanced