Modeling and measurement of curing properties of photocurable polymer containing magnetic particles and microcapsules

摘要

A simple model paves the way for the improved fabrication of high-precisionthree-dimensional (3D) microstructures with desirable properties. In a process called microstereolithography, ultraviolet lasers are used to produce layers of photocurable resins, which are then stacked into 3D microstructures. Adding magnetic particles and microcapsules to the resin can create magnetic micromachines. However, this also makes it difficult to manufacture microstructures with high precision. By measuring the curing characteristics of resins imbued with particles, Koji Ikuta at the University of Tokyo and Masato Yasui at the RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center in Osaka, Japan, modeled the relationship between particle properties and the photocurability of resins. Using their model, the researchers optimized the particles to achieve the ideal combination of photocurability, magnetic properties and density — knowledge that could be used to develop photocurable resins with specified properties.