Polymer Network Formation in Epoxy-Acrylate Dual-Cure Thermoset Resins for Direct Ink Write Additive Manufacturing*

Dual-cure thermoset resins have been studied for many years for applications in adhesives and coatings. More recently dual-cure approaches have elicited interest for application to additive manufacturing methods such as stereolithography (SLA) and direct-ink-write (DIW). Development of methods to additively manufacture thermoset resins will enable additive approaches for a broad scope of materials including structural materials and advanced composites. The development of a dual-cure epoxy-acrylate thermoset resin for direct-ink-write AM will be described and the effect of resin composition and cure profiles on polymer network formation and final mechanical properties explored. Initial studies on the use of functionalized fillers as network crosslinkers will also be described.