Multimaterial Thermoplastic Architectures via Vat Photopolymerization

Stereolithographic additive manufacturing (SLA) processes provide agility and complex design development of components necessary for a wide range of critical applications. Yet this technique is traditionally limited to thermoset materials with singular bulk properties. We present a novel technique that breaks from these paradigms to manufacture high-resolution, multi-material thermoplastic architectures. Multimaterial printing is achieved through facile in-situ control of polyolefin backbone chemistry (i.e., cis/trans content) using greyscale irradiation. Thus, a wide range of mechanical properties can be patterned, varying from viscoelastic to hard crystalline polymers, at the micron scale and implemented into complex three-dimension geometries using vat printing and a single vat of resin without the need for a secondary cure mechanism.