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On the 3D printability of one-part moisture-curable polyurethanes via direct ink writing (DIW)

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Abstract

Direct ink writing (DIW) is an ambient temperature additive manufacturing (AM) method that accommodates many possible ink materials. Here, we demonstrate using a moisture-curable commercially available polyurethane (PU) sealant as an alternative ink for DIW. We discussed the fundamentals of PU chemistry and determined the best 3D printing parameters. Studies on rheological, thermogravimetric, spectroscopic characterization, and initial finite element analyses (FEA) showed properties expected from a performance sealant with high elongation and low modulus of a 3D-printed object. This affirms the flexibility of the DIW technique as an accessible AM method amenable for future materials development from commercial model formulations.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge technical support from Frontier Laboratories and Quantum Analytics. This work (or part of this work) was conducted in Oak Ridge National Laboratory Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences by R.C. Adivncula, a US Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Carla Joyce C. Nocheseda, Marielle Francesca A. Santos, Alejandro H. Espera Jr. & Rigoberto C. Advincula

  2. Department of Macromolecular Sciences and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    G. M. Fazley Elahee, Xiang Cheng & Rigoberto C. Advincula

  3. Novagard Solutions, Cleveland, OH, 44114, USA

    G. M. Fazley Elahee

  4. Center for Nanophase Materials and Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA

    Rigoberto C. Advincula

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  1. Carla Joyce C. Nocheseda
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  2. G. M. Fazley Elahee
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  3. Marielle Francesca A. Santos
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  4. Xiang Cheng
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Correspondence to Rigoberto C. Advincula.

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Nocheseda, C.J.C., Fazley Elahee, G.M., Santos, M.F.A. et al. On the 3D printability of one-part moisture-curable polyurethanes via direct ink writing (DIW). MRS Communications 13, 647–656 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-023-00407-5

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