Dual-Wavelength (UV and Blue) Controlled Photopolymerization Confinement for 3D-Printing: Modeling and Analysis of Measurements

The kinetics and modeling of dual-wavelength (UV and blue) controlled photopolymerization confinement (PC) are presented and measured data are analyzed by analytic formulas and numerical data. The UV-light initiated inhibition effect is strongly monomer-dependent due to different C=C bond rate constants and conversion efficacies. Without the UV-light, for a given blue-light intensity, higher initiator concentration (C-10) and rate constant (k') lead to higher conversion, as also predicted by analytic formulas, in which the total conversion rate (R-T) is an increasing function of C-1 and k'R, which is proportional to k'[gB(1)C(1)](0.5). However, the coupling factor B-1 plays a different role that higher B-1 leads to higher conversion only in the transient regime; whereas higher B-1 leads to lower steady-state conversion. For a fixed initiator concentration C-10, higher inhibitor concentration (C-20) leads to lower conversion due to a stronger inhibition effect. However, same conversion reduction was found for the same H-factor defined by H-0 = [b(1)C(10) - b(2)C(20)]. Conversion of blue-only are much higher than that of UV-only and UV-blue combined, in which high C-20 results a strong reduction of blue-only-conversion, such that the UV-light serves as the turn-off (trigger) mechanism for the purpose of spatial confirmation within the overlap area of UV and blue light. For example, UV-light controlled methacrylate conversion of a glycidyl dimethacrylate resin is formulated with a tertiary amine co-initiator, and butyl nitrite. The system is subject to a continuous exposure of a blue light, but an on-off exposure of a UV-light. Finally, we developed a theoretical new finding for the criterion of a good material/candidate governed by a double ratio of light-intensity and concentration, [I20C20]/[I10C10].