Review: photopolymers for additive manufacturing - developments in materials, processes, applications, and future prospects.
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| Title: | Review: photopolymers for additive manufacturing - developments in materials, processes, applications, and future prospects. |
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| Authors: | Gupta, Vivek Kumar1 (AUTHOR), Kumar, Narendra1 (AUTHOR) kumarn@nitj.ac.in |
| Source: | Journal of Materials Science. Jul2026, Vol. 61 Issue 25, p17761-17807. 47p. |
| Subjects: | Photopolymers, Photopolymerization, Three-dimensional printing, Rapid prototyping, Nanocomposite materials, Photochemical curing, Stereolithography |
| Abstract: | The application of photopolymers has grown significantly in the field of additive manufacturing (AM), facilitating rapid solidification, energy-efficient curing, and solvent-free processing of high-resolution structures for biomedical, electronic, and photonic applications. This review article provides a comprehensive investigation of UV-curable photopolymers for additive manufacturing to show studies on photo-curing mechanisms, photopolymers' preparation and processing techniques, and their applications. Photopolymers support high-resolution printing through cross-linking using constituents that comprise monomers, oligomers, photoinitiators, and fillers including bio-derived chemistries and nanocomposite reinforcements such as cellulose nanocrystals and MXenes for cutting-edge applications. Processing techniques of the photopolymer such as stereolithography, digital light processing, two-photon polymerization, CLIP, volumetric printing, and inkjet curing were compared in terms of resolution, speed, and limitations. The printability of photopolymers such as acrylate, epoxy, thiol-ene networks, and functional systems that yield dielectric, conductive, or biocompatible properties was analyzed. Simulations of photopolymers were discussed to understand their curing kinetics behavior. Furthermore, the review offers a critical analysis of existing challenges such as cure depth, shrinkage, stability, toxicity, and scalability and proposes future directions for UV-curing technologies, focusing on issues such as sustainability, durability, and integration with emerging manufacturing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
| Abstract: | The application of photopolymers has grown significantly in the field of additive manufacturing (AM), facilitating rapid solidification, energy-efficient curing, and solvent-free processing of high-resolution structures for biomedical, electronic, and photonic applications. This review article provides a comprehensive investigation of UV-curable photopolymers for additive manufacturing to show studies on photo-curing mechanisms, photopolymers' preparation and processing techniques, and their applications. Photopolymers support high-resolution printing through cross-linking using constituents that comprise monomers, oligomers, photoinitiators, and fillers including bio-derived chemistries and nanocomposite reinforcements such as cellulose nanocrystals and MXenes for cutting-edge applications. Processing techniques of the photopolymer such as stereolithography, digital light processing, two-photon polymerization, CLIP, volumetric printing, and inkjet curing were compared in terms of resolution, speed, and limitations. The printability of photopolymers such as acrylate, epoxy, thiol-ene networks, and functional systems that yield dielectric, conductive, or biocompatible properties was analyzed. Simulations of photopolymers were discussed to understand their curing kinetics behavior. Furthermore, the review offers a critical analysis of existing challenges such as cure depth, shrinkage, stability, toxicity, and scalability and proposes future directions for UV-curing technologies, focusing on issues such as sustainability, durability, and integration with emerging manufacturing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00222461 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10853-026-12891-w |
