3D-Printing of Degradable Polyether-esters via Cationic Ring-Opening Polymerization of Spirocyclic Compounds

Abstract

Additive manufacturing has developed into a significant polymer manufacturing method and can be considered an environmentally sustainable production system due to the reduction of material waste and energy consumption. At the same time, the materials obtained from (meth)acrylic resins are generally non-degradable and introducing mid-chain degradability into the backbone efficiently remains challenging. In this work we combine the biodegradability and biocompatibility of poly(ether-esters) with outstanding part precision by 3D-printing spirocyclic monomers at elevated temperatures, which accelerates their ring-opening polymerization sufficiently for printing. Remarkable (thermo-)mechanical properties and excellent resolution have been achieved by Hot Lithography due to the shrinkage-reducing effect of spirocyclic monomers. This enables rapid production of biocompatible and biodegradable custom parts in the biomedical healthcare sectors.