PLGA from PolySciTech used in research on 3D printed graphene based on a temporary nickel scaffold

 

Typically, the biodegradability of PLGA is utilized in a medical sense to create structures which slowly break down over time in the human body in a non-toxic manner for tissue engineering or drug-delivery applications. PLGA’s degradation, however, is hydrolysis and occurs in general upon contact with any water proceeding faster in acid or alkali conditions. This allows PLGA to be used in engineering applications as a temporary structure. Recently, researchers at University of Cincinnati and A&T North Carolina State University used PLGA (PolyVivo cat# AP234) from PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) as a temporary binder for nickel particles as part of development of a novel 3D-printed catalyst system for graphene structure creation. This research holds promise to improve capabilities of forming complex structures from reinforced materials. Read more: Kondapalli, Vamsi Krishna Reddy, Xingyu He, Mahnoosh Khosravifar, Safa Khodabakhsh, Boyce Collins, Sergey Yarmolenko, Ashley Paz y Puente, and Vesselin Shanov. "CVD Synthesis of 3D-Shaped 3D Graphene Using a 3D-Printed Nickel–PLGA Catalyst Precursor." ACS Omega (2021). https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsomega.1c04072

“Earlier, various attempts to develop graphene structures using chemical and nonchemical routes were reported. Being efficient, scalable, and repeatable, 3D printing of graphene-based polymer inks and aerogels seems attractive; however, the produced structures highly rely on a binder or an ice support to stay intact. The presence of a binder or graphene oxide hinders the translation of the excellent graphene properties to the 3D structure. In this communication, we report our efforts to synthesize a 3D-shaped 3D graphene (3D2G) with good quality, desirable shape, and structure control by combining 3D printing with the atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Direct ink writing has been used in this work as a 3D-printing technique to print nickel powder–PLGA slurry into various shapes. The latter has been employed as a catalyst for graphene growth via CVD. Porous 3D2G with high purity was obtained after etching out the nickel substrate. The conducted micro CT and 2D Raman study of pristine 3D2G revealed important features of this new material. The interconnected porous nature of the obtained 3D2G combined with its good electrical conductivity (about 17 S/cm) and promising electrochemical properties invites applications for energy storage electrodes, where fast electron transfer and intimate contact with the active material and with the electrolyte are critically important. By changing the printing design, one can manipulate the electrical, electrochemical, and mechanical properties, including the structural porosity, without any requirement for additional doping or chemical postprocessing. The obtained binder-free 3D2G showed a very good thermal stability, tested by thermo-gravimetric analysis in air up to 500 °C. This work brings together two advanced manufacturing approaches, CVD and 3D printing, thus enabling the synthesis of high-quality, binder-free 3D2G structures with a tailored design that appeared to be suitable for multiple applications.”