Method for fast building three-dimension polymer structures based on digital light patterning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10239238-B2
Application number	US-201715486128-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2017
Priority date	Apr 15, 2016
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure concerns a digital fabricating method for constructing 3D structures, comprising the following steps: (a) precursor consist of monomers and photo-initiator is introduced into reaction cell; (b) exposing the precursor to the DLP projector for several times to gain an inhomogeneous sheet; (c) swelling the sheet in solvent to gain 3D structure. The disclosure provides a simple and easy way to produce precise 3D structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for constructing 3D polymer structures with digital light patterning technology, comprising the following steps: (a) introducing photo-curable precursors comprising monomers and photo-initiators into a flat reaction cell; (b) using a DLP-type projector to illuminate and cure the precursor locally and cumulatively, getting a heterogeneous 2D polymer sheet; (c) swelling the 2D polymer sheet in a certain solvent or heat the sheet until reaching a equilibrium 3D structure.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monomers can be chosen from acrylate monomers and epoxy monomers, the acrylate monomers have at least two acrylate functional groups; the epoxy monomers have at least two epoxy functional groups.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the acrylate monomers can be chosen from poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate, ethylene glycol diacrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate, polyester acrylate and amino acrylic resin; the epoxy monomers can be chosen from bisphenol A epoxy, bisphenol F epoxy and cycloaliphatic epoxy.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the acrylate monomers selectively include a monomer with one acrylate functional group; the epoxy monomers selectively include a monomer with one epoxy functional group as reactive diluent.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radical photo-initiator is chosen for the acrylate monomer, the cationic photo-initiator is chosen for the epoxy monomer, the amount of the photo-initiator ranges from 0.1 to 5% by weight.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the radical photo-initiator can be chosen from benzoin, benzoin dimethyl ether, 2-phenylacetophenone, benzoin dimethyl ether, hydroxyalkyl phenyl ketone, aroyl phosphorus oxide, diphenyl ketone, 2,4-Dihydroxybenzophenone, 2-isopropylthioxanthone and cationic photo-initiator can be chosen from diaryliodonium salts, triaryliodonium salts, alkyl iodonium salt, cumene ferrocene hexafluorophosphate.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reaction cell is constructed by piling up two quartz glass sheets separated with silicon spacer and the spacer thickness is in the range of 0.3 mm to 5 mm.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the DLP-type projector is connected to a computer through an open source G-code and graphics software.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light source of the projector can be a mercury lamp with all band ultraviolet or a LED lamp with specific wavelength coincidence with the photo-initiator such as 315 nm, 365, 405 nm.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent used to swell the 2D polymer sheet is chosen according to the hydrophilicity of the polymer.

Assignees

• Univ Zhejiang

Inventors

• Xie Tao
• Wu Jingjun
• Zhao Qian
• Huang Limei

Classifications

• B29C35/0266

  Local curing (for repairing B29C73/34) · CPC title

• B29K2063/00

  Use of {EP, i.e.} epoxy resins {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material · CPC title

• B29K2105/0002

  monomers or prepolymers · CPC title

• B29C71/0009

  using liquids, e.g. solvents, swelling agents (spectacle cases, e.g. for cleaning contact lenses A45C11/04; disinfecting or sterilising contact lenses A61L12/00, using liquid substances A61L2/20; cleaning involving the use of liquid in general B08B3/00; for hydrating contact lenses B29D11/00067) · CPC title

• B29C2035/0827

  using UV radiation · CPC title