A novel UV-curable intrinsic antistatic polymer materials for rapid 3D printing architectures based on polymerizable deep eutectic solvent

Abstract

Electrostatic discharge poses significant safety hazards in electrical and electronic applications. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt a portable method for fabricating devices with excellent antistatic properties. In this study, we prepared a novel photocurable antistatic material (UVR-B-DES) using polymerizable deep eutectic solvents (DES), acryloylmorpholine and polyurethane acrylate based on bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) from the glycolysis products of waste polyester. BHET-based polyurethane acrylate (PUA-B) was synthesized with isoflurone diisocyanate, BHET, trimethylolpropane and hydroxymethacrylate at a certain temperature. During UV-curing, crosslinking network locks the PUA-B, acryloylmorpholine and DES together through non-covalent interaction between the components. The physicochemical properties, antistatic performance, and curing kinetics of these antistatic photocurable materials were investigated. UVR-B-DES exhibited notable antistatic properties and a rapid curing rate. Specifically, UVR-3B-50DES, containing PUA-3B and 50 wt% DES, demonstrated the lowest surface resistivity (10⁸ Ω) and volume resistivity (3.3 × 10⁸ Ω/cm), along with a satisfactory curing rate. Furthermore, UVR-3B-50DES showed enhanced toughness, improved thermal management performance, and the potential of 3D printing materials, thus broadening the application scope of antistatic photocurable materials. This research paves the way for advancing the development of photocurable 3D printing materials.