Backbone Optical Absorber Polyamide Particles for 3D Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional dyes used in thermoplastic polymers like polyamides, such as nylons, are unsuitable for colored applications due to decomposition at high processing temperatures and potential leaching, leading to uneven coloration in 3-D printing, where homogeneous dye incorporation is crucial for maintaining color over time.
Innovation Solution
Polyamides are synthesized with optical absorbers integrated into their backbone (IBOA-polyamides) using polyamine, polyacid, or amino acid optical absorbers, ensuring even color retention through polymerization methods like condensation or ring-opening polymerization, and processed into particles or filaments for 3-D printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional dyes are used to color polyamides, then the polyamide can be colored, but the dyes decompose at high processing temperatures and leach out over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the dye molecule with the polyamide polymer chain through chemical bonding, merging two previously separate components (dye and polymer) into a single integrated structure. This is achieved by incorporating functional groups into the dye molecule that can form covalent bonds with the polyamide, ensuring the colorant remains attached during high-temperature processing and over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary chemical modification of the dye molecule before the coloring process. The dye is pre-functionalized with reactive groups that will bond to the polyamide during processing, ensuring stable attachment before the material undergoes high-temperature extrusion or molding operations.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional dyes are mixed with polyamide particles, then the polyamide can be colored, but the dyes do not disperse evenly leading to uneven coloration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the dye and polyamide at the molecular level through covalent bonding, eliminating the need for physical mixing and dispersion. This chemical integration ensures uniform color distribution throughout the polyamide structure, as the colorant becomes an integral part of the polymer chain rather than a separate phase that requires dispersion.
3Productivity
If high processing temperatures are used for thermoplastic polymers, then the polymer can be processed, but traditional dyes decompose
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary chemical modification of the dye molecule to incorporate thermally stable functional groups that form strong covalent bonds with the polyamide. This pre-functionalization ensures the dye can withstand high processing temperatures without decomposition, as the bond strength exceeds the thermal energy at processing temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the dye molecule by introducing functional groups with high thermal stability and strong bonding affinity to the polyamide. This chemical parameter modification allows the dye to maintain stability at the elevated temperatures required for thermoplastic processing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting IBOA-polyamide particles maintain even color and fluorescence over time, preventing migration or leaching, and can be used in 3-D printing to produce objects with consistent coloration and structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
polymerizing polyamide monomers in the presence of an optical absorber selected from the group consisting of a polyamine optical absorber, a polyacid optical absorber, an amino acid optical absorber, and any combination thereof to yield a polyamide having the optical absorber in the backbone of the polyamide
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing highly spherical polymer particles comprising a polyamide having an optical absorber in a backbone of the polyamide (IBOA-polyamide) may comprise: mixing a mixture comprising the IBOA-polyamide, a carrier fluid that is immiscible with the IBOA-polyamide, and optionally an emulsion stabilizer at a temperature greater than a melting point or softening temperature of the IBOA-polyamide and at a shear rate sufficiently high to disperse the IBOA-polyamide in the carrier fluid; and cooling the mixture to below the melting point or softening temperature of the IBOA-polyamide to form particles comprising the IBOA-polyamide and the emulsion stabilizer, when present, associated with an outer surface of the particles.