posted on 2023-12-20, 20:35authored byMelissa K. Stanfield, Nathan Kotlarewski, Jason Smith, Stuart C. Thickett
Developing
thermosets from renewable feedstocks for the production
of sustainable polymer networks is of great significance as the world
transitions from its heavy reliance on petroleum-derived polymeric
materials. Levoglucosan is a renewable chemical, obtained from the
pyrolysis of cellulosic biomass and was selected for this study due
to its rich functionality. Allyl and pentenoyl levoglucosan monomers
were synthesized with selective chemical functionality and were rapidly
cured via ultraviolet (UV)-initiated thiol–ene click chemistry
to obtain optically transparent, degradable networks. The mechanical
properties (tensile strength and Young’s modulus) and glass-transition
temperature are tunable over the range of 1.08–3.40, 2.50–4.72
MPa, and 3.93–22.8 °C based on the monomer compositions.
The resulting thermosets are able to be tailored for desired properties
and applications, as demonstrated by stereolithography (SLA) three-dimensional
(3D) printing and postcuring modification.