Among the existing 3D printing (3DP) materials, polymers present vast and exciting opportunities, but new challenges arise to satisfy industry-specific requirements. Polyurethane (PU) is one of the most versatile and functional materials, which offers unique properties such as lightweight, chemical resistance, and biocompatibility. However, 3D printing of PU remains an exigent task because of the resulting weak mechanical properties, which impede its proliferation to various industrial applications. On the other hand, the high stiffness and strength inherent in cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), coupled with its high aspect ratio, have the potential to provide high-performance reinforcement to 3D-printed PU. However, incorporating a nanomaterial such as CNC in a polymer matrix poses a huge challenge. Inhomogeneous dispersion of CNC in PU matrix could cause detrimental effects on the structural integrity of the nanocomposite material. Based on literature, the discussion on toughness remains unexplored with highest improvement on tensile strength by 44% and tensile strain by 9%. Hence, this work delineates the successful compatibilization of CNC with an internally developed thermosetting PU, a nonpolar matrix, resulting to the covalent attachment of CNC to PU. It is highly suitable for 3DP, producing PU-fCNC complex structures via radical photopolymerization, significantly toughened by 454%.

Covalently functionalized cellulose nanocrystal-reinforced thermosetting polyurethane for 3D printing of highly toughened complex structures via stereolithography

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