Desktop-Stereolithography 3D-Printing of a Poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based Material with Sylgard-184 Properties

摘要

The advantageous physiochemical properties of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) have made it an extremely useful material for prototyping in various technological, scientific, and clinical areas. However, PDMS molding is a manual procedure and requires tedious assembly steps, especially for three-dimensional (3D) designs, thereby limiting its access and usability. On the other hand, automated digital manufacturing processes such as stereolithography (SL) enable true 3D design and fabrication. Here we report the formulation, characterization and SL application of a 3D-printable PDMS resin (3DP-PDMS) based on commercially available PDMS-methacrylate macromers, a high-efficiency photoinitiator and a high-absorbance photosensitizer. Using a desktop SL-printer, we demonstrate optically transparent sub-millimeter structures and microfluidic channels. We also used an optimized blend of PDMS-methacrylate macromers to SL-print structures with mechanical properties similar to conventional thermally cured PDMS (Sylgard-184). Furthermore, we show that SL-printed 3DP-PDMS substrates can be rendered suitable for mammalian cell culture. The 3DP-PDMS resin enables assembly-free, automated, digital manufacturing of PDMS, which should facilitate the prototyping of devices for microfluidics, organ-on-chip platforms, soft robotics, flexible electronics and sensors, among others.