Use of biobased resins derived from renewable monomers for sustainable 3D fabrication through two-photon polymerization

This work demonstrates the fabrication of microstructures with formulations containing bio-based prepolymers derived from itaconic acid, commercial reactive diluents, photo initiators, and inhibitors, through two-photon polymerization. Lateral and vertical resolutions within the micron range can be achieved by the adjustment of laser scanning speed and pulse energy, and through the use of microscope objectives with high magnification and numerical aperture. The fabrication throughput can be slightly increased by simultaneously increasing the laser pulse energy and scanning speed, with special care to keep the resolution of the features that can be written via two-photon polymerization. Feasibility for the fabrication of 3D microstructures is demonstrated, through the fabrication of benchmark structures like woodpiles and pyramidal structures. Thus, this work proves that resins based on biobased formulations, originally designed for UV-curing 3D printing, can be adapted for two-photon polymerization, obtaining 3D microstructures with resolutions within the micron range.