Abstract
Polycarbonates are widely used in food packages, drink bottles, and various healthcare products such as dental sealants and tooth coatings. However, bisphenol A (BPA) and phosgene used in the production of commercial polycarbonates pose major concerns to public health safety. Here, we report a green pathway to prepare BPA-free polycarbonates (BFPs) by thermal ring-opening polymerization and photopolymerization. Polycarbonates prepared from two cyclic carbonates in different mole ratios demonstrated tunable mechanical stiffness, excellent thermal stability, and high optical transparency. Three-dimensional (3D) printing of the new BFPs was demonstrated using a two-photon laser direct writing system and a rapid 3D optical projection printer to produce structures possessing complex high-resolution geometries. Seeded C3H10T1/2 cells also showed over 95% viability with potential applications in biological studies. By combining biocompatible BFPs with 3D printing, novel safe and high-performance biomedical devices and healthcare products could be developed with broad long-term benefits to society.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 5331-5339 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2018 Feb 14 |
Subject classification (UKÄ)
- Medical Materials (including Prosthesis technologies)
Free keywords
- 3D printing
- biomedical devices
- bisphenol A-free polycarbonate
- BPA
- continuous 3D projection printing
- healthcare products
- photopolymerization
- two-photon laser direct writing