Development of a Zeolite/Polymer‐Based Hydrogel Composite through Photopolymerization for 3D Printing Application

Abstract

In recent years, hydrogels have been widely applied in daily life and industry. More and more fillers have been combined with hydrogel to broaden their fields of application and improve their mechanical properties. However, there are few works about zeolite‐based hydrogel composites via photopolymerization. Hence, in this work, it is reported that the fabrication of hydrogel composites containing zeolite (FAU‐13X ≈ 40 wt%) under mild photopolymerization conditions (visible LED light irradiation, at room temperature, under air, and without any monomer purification). Markedly, compared to pure hydrogel, the elastic modulus (G′) of hydrogel composite contains 10% FAU‐13X increased by more than 100%. When the zeolite content reached 40%, the water swelling ratio in mass reached 120%, and that in volume remained at 150%. In addition, 3D patterns with flat surface are obtained through direct laser write as a lithography technique. This means these hydrogel composites can be applied in the field of water absorption materials and 3D printing.

Push-pull dyes based on Michler's aldehyde: Design and characterization of the optical and electrochemical properties

“…Indeed, Type II photoinitiators are extremely popular in photopolymerization and we wanted to anticipate future works of photopolymerists aiming at addressing the extractability issue. [32,[62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72]] EA1-EA15 have been selected as electron acceptors as these structures strongly differ by their electron-withdrawing ability.…”

Three-Dimensional Printing Strategies for Enhanced Hydrogel Applications

“…The field is advancing through novel crosslinking methods [15,18,19] and the incorporation of functional materials [69][70][71], aiming to strike a balance between strength, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Enhanced bioprinting techniques [74][75][76] and the integration of bioactive molecules [60,72,73] are paving the way for more intricate and functional tissue constructs.…”

Nanoscale Features of Zeolite Fillers Enhance the Depth of Cure, Optical Properties, and Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed Polymer Composite Structures

“…It has many advantages such as a high production rate, a mild reaction temperature, the absence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), low energy consumption, excellent spatial and temporal control, etc. , The addition of fillers can reinforce the polymer matrix by lowering the shrinkage and restricting the mobility of polymer chains. , It can also provide polymers with functionalities ranging from antibacterial properties to dielectric properties, electrical conductivity, and color stability and opacity . There has been growing interest in recent years for photocurable composites with high filler loading for high-performance materials and several works using zeolites as active material have been published to fabricate functional composites or shaped zeolite monoliths. − For instance, Zhang et al reported a zeolite monolith for CO 2 adsorption by digital light processing (DLP) under visible light (405 nm) . A powdery mixture (30 wt %) of LTA zeolite and bentonite was added to a photosensitive resin (70 wt %) composed of polyether acrylate, isopropyl alcohol, phenylbis (2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) phosphine oxide, and Sudan Red III.…”