Thermal and UV curable formulations of poly(propylene glycol)−poly(hydroxyurethane) elastomers toward nozzle-based 3D photoprinting

In this work, isocyanate-free formulations for poly(propylene glycol) polyurethane elastomers are studied. These formulations are based on poly(propylene glycol) end-capped by CO2-sourced cyclic carbonate (bisCC PPG) macro-monomers able to react with amines leading to poly-(hydroxyurethane)s. In order to obtain covalent networks, two curing approaches are studied. First, the direct thermally activated cross-linking of bisCC PPG with a mixture of various aliphatic or aromatic diamines and a triamine is investigated, and in particular the nature of the diamine on the mechanical properties. In the second approach, UV-activated formulations are developed by reacting bisCC PPG with allylamine followed by the addition of a trithiol by photoactivated thiol−ene reaction. The swelling tests show that both systems provide highly cross-linked polymer networks and complementary characterizations highlighted excellent mechanical properties. Thanks to the fast curing and adapted viscosity of the developed photoactive formulation, the latter was found suitable for use as a photoresin for 3D printing as demonstrated by printing a vaginal ring by a nozzle-based photoprinter.