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Unleashing the potential of waste: A supercharged high-performance 3D printing resin from discarded polylactic acid

Polylactic acid, a promising bio-based plastic, could still pose pollution challenges if it is not properly disposed of. Rather than letting it degrade, a facile chemical upcycled method was employed to convert PLA wastes into engineering-grade photocurable 3D printing resin. The freshly formulated...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2024-06, Vol.489 (C), p.151250, Article 151250
Main Authors: Chang, Yu-Chung, Shao, Lin, Liu, Wangcheng, Bliss, Brian J., Zhao, Baoming, Zhao, Zihui, Zhang, Jinwen
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Polylactic acid, a promising bio-based plastic, could still pose pollution challenges if it is not properly disposed of. Rather than letting it degrade, a facile chemical upcycled method was employed to convert PLA wastes into engineering-grade photocurable 3D printing resin. The freshly formulated resin exhibits unprecedented tensile strength and thermal properties capable of high-performance applications. [Display omitted] •A practical method for turning discarded PLA into a value-added precursor, N-LEA.•Direct N-LEA functionalization yields high-performance 3D printable resin.•Unmatched resin surpasses all engineering resins in tensile and thermal performance.•Demonstrate the ready-to-use, ultra-performance products through MSLA 3D printing. In additive manufacturing/3D printing, the limitation no longer lies in people’s imagination but in the materials that one can print with. While the additive manufacturing process can virtually create any geometry, available applications are often limited by factors like parts’ mechanical strength, glass transition temperature, and heat deflection temperature. These factors are especially critical for polymer-based printing. Here we introduce a simple formulation derived from the aminolysis of polylactic acid (PLA) plastic waste, namely the N-lactoyl ethanolamine (N-LEA). The N-LEA is next reacted with excess methacrylic anhydride, forming a photo-crosslinkable resin for MSLA 3D printing. The resulting 3D printed part has a set of impressive properties that is unrivaled amongst engineering grade 3D printing resins on the market and research literature. The 3D printed part has an ultrahigh tensile strength of 131.7 MPa, glass transition at ∼190 °C, and heat deflection temperature at 162.6 °C. This work demonstrates a true upcycling approach for turning PLA waste into a value-added product in a simple and efficient manner while also expanding the high-performance material portfolio available for photocuring additive manufacturing.
ISSN:1385-8947
1873-3212
DOI:10.1016/j.cej.2024.151250