Soybean Oil-Derived\nAcrylate/Methacrylate Ether for\nHigh-Resolution Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is one of the rapidly developing\ntechniques\nthat may be used to prototype complex structures and sophisticated\ngeometries that are typically challenging to produce with conventional\nmethods. Thus, replacing petroleum-based plastics with renewable resources\nis increasingly important for additive manufacturing (3D printing)\nof photocurable resins. The use of biobased renewable resources in\nAM is a feasible alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics.\nHenceforth, the development of sustainable inks has gained substantial\ninterest in the modern polymer industry by reducing its environmental\nimpact. In this context, vegetable oil is a valuable plant-based renewable\nsource and is expected to be an alternate feedstock for 3D printing\ndue to its broad spectrum of applications, affordable price, and potential\nbiodegradability. In this perception, the present work demonstrates\nthe development of soybean oil-based photocurable resins (ESBO_HEA/HEMA)\nfor application in digital light processing (DLP) photopolymerization.\nAt first, acrylated/methacrylated soybean oil (ESBO_HEA/HEMA) was\nefficiently synthesized from the corresponding epoxidized soybean\noil by a one-pot oxirane ring-opening strategy as an alternate to\nconventional acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) generated via\nacrylation between ESO and acrylic acid. A series of DLP inks for\n3D printing have been formulated using synthesized soybean oil acrylate/methacrylate\nin the presence of photoinitiator (TPO) and or reactive diluents (trimethylolpropane\ntriacrylate, TMPTA). Moreover, the rheological properties especially\nthe resin’s viscosity of all formulated inks were investigated,\nwhich are in good agreement for DLP 3D printing. Additionally, the\nimpact of the reactive diluent (TMPTA) on the thermal (DSC, TGA) and\nmechanical (DMA, tensile strength, and hardness) behavior of the 3D-printed\nobject was also examined. Altogether, the present research work demonstrates\nthe use of biobased and inexpensive soybean oil, which offered a simple\nmethod to prepare potential inks for DLP 3D printing that could be\nused in the additive manufacturing industry to make architectural\nmodels and automotive components, which opens new avenues for 3D printing\nthat is sustainable.