Chemical engineers from the University of Melbourne have found a way to 3D-print smart polymers which are built to undertake a chemical reaction, so that they can perform a function in a particular environment.
Dr Luke Connal from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering said the smart polymers could be used in a few ways.
On thing they have made is a flow regulation device, which consists of a polymer valve that opens and closes to control the flow rate of water, dependent upon the pH of the water flowing through it.
Another is a catalytic device that can remove an environmental pollutant from water. In the experiment conducted, the 3D printed polymer catalyst is placed in a yellow (contaminated) solution, which turns clear over time, when the toxic substance has been neutralised.
“We have developed interesting materials that can be printed on the more affordable range of 3D printers, like the ones you can buy in hardware shops these days,” Connal said.
“Basically we are trying to add function to these 3D printed objects. Rather than just having an inanimate printed object, we are creating something that you can do something else with.”
He said they saw the opportunity to make polymers that change shape or change properties with a trigger so they set out to develop methods to feed these polymers into a 3D Printer.
The project is challenging from both the synthesis and production side of creating the material, to the printing side, ensuring that the material has the right shape and complex properties to carry out its function, as well as being 3D printable.
A filament must first be produced, which can be fed into the printer, melted and 3D printed. There are a lot of challenges in the chemistry and the properties of making the filament, determining the thermal properties aside with optimising the production conditions to make it printable.
“This is early research for us in the area of functional polymers and 3D printing and we believe there is scope to further develop the work and to partner with industry in creating novel solutions with these new smart materials,” Connal said.
[Photo: University of Melbourne]
Devloping an Innovation Industry in Australia will be one of the topics of discussion at the Australian Engineering Conference 2016 in Brisbane on November 23-25.