Affordable Biocidal Ultraviolet Cured Cuprous Oxide Filled Vat Photopolymerization Resin Nanocomposites with Enhanced Mechanical Properties

Abstract

In this study, Cuprous Oxide (Cu2O), known for its mechanism against bacteria, was used as filler to induce biocidal properties on a common commercial resin stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing resin. The aim was to develop nanocomposites suitable for the SLA process with a low-cost process that mimic host defense peptides (HDPs). Such materials have a huge economic and societal influence on the global technological war on illness and exploiting 3D printing characteristics is an additional asset for these materials. Their mechanical performance was also investigated with tensile, flexural, Charpy’s impact, and Vickers microhardness tests. Morphological analysis was performed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, while the thermal behavior was studied through Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The antibacterial activity of the fabricated nanocomposites was investigated using a screening agar well diffusion method, for a gram-negative and a gram-positive bacterium. Three-dimensional printed nanocomposites exhibited antibacterial performance in all loadings studied, while their mechanical enhancement was approximately 20% even at low filler loadings, revealing a multi-functional performance and a potential of Cuprous Oxide implementation in SLA resin matrices for engineering and medical applications.

Development and Optimization of Medical-Grade Multi-Functional Polyamide 12-Cuprous Oxide Nanocomposites with Superior Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties for Cost-Effective 3D Printing

“…Copper (I) oxide’s antibacterial performance has been studied and it is well documented in the literature [ 61 , 62 ]. Copper (Cu) and copper oxides have been used as fillers in vat photopolymerization to induce antibacterial performance to polymeric resins [ 63 , 64 ]; however, no studies exist yet that are related to ΜΕΧ 3D printing technology [ 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 ]. Hence, they were selected in this study as potential fillers to introduce multifunctional behavior in the prepared nanocomposite materials.…”

Trilateral Multi-Functional Polyamide 12 Nanocomposites with Binary Inclusions for Medical Grade Material Extrusion 3D Printing: The Effect of Titanium Nitride in Mechanical Reinforcement and Copper/Cuprous Oxide as Antibacterial Agents

“…The main drawback of the 3DP parts is the reduced mechanical properties compared to the injection-molded parts [ 29 , 30 , 31 ]. To overcome this issue, various types of nanomaterials have been introduced into polymer matrices that enhance the mechanical response of the matrix material and induce their properties in the developed nanocomposites [ 5 , 20 , 31 , 32 ]. As a result, nanocomposites for 3DP and AM, in general, have been developed and characterized with improved mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties [ 20 , 33 , 34 ].…”

“…For the development of composites and nanocomposites with antibacterial properties, additives with such properties are introduced into the materials, with copper (Cu) and its oxides, such as copper (I) oxide (cuprous oxide, Cu 2 O), frequently used in the literature [ 8 , 32 , 34 , 35 ]. Cu in different types (nanopowder and others) has been widely used and investigated in the literature for various types of applications [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ].…”

“…Cuprous oxide has been employed in semiconductors [ 67 , 68 ], among other applications; still, it is mainly used and investigated for its antibacterial properties [ 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 ]. Its antibacterial properties have also been exploited in vat photopolymerization [ 32 , 34 ] and MEX 3DP for polylactic acid (PLA) [ 35 ] and PA12 polymers [ 8 ], achieving sufficient antibacterial performance in the nanocomposites developed in these studies. Copper and other metal nanoparticles (NPs) biocidal properties are achieved, since they have physicochemical characteristics, imitating the host defense peptide (HDP), which is the main mechanism in living organisms for killing or inhibiting bacteria [ 77 , 78 ].…”

Multifunctional Medical Grade Resin with Enhanced Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties: The Effect of Copper Nano-Inclusions in Vat Polymerization (VPP) Additive Manufacturing

“…In AM it has been used in powder-based 3D printing processes to build parts [ 72 , 73 , 87 , 88 ], in electron beam melting AM [ 89 ], and in ultrasonic AM [ 90 ]. In nanoparticle form, Cu has been used to induce antibacterial properties in polymers used as matrix materials in vat photopolymerization [ 44 , 91 ] and in material extrusion (MEX) 3D printing [ 92 , 93 ]. The introduction of antibacterial properties in polymeric materials in different AM processes has gained interest in the research, due to the potential of such composites in medical and food applications.…”