A new stereolithographic active resin to fabricate smart object

The Italian research Institute develops interdisciplinary research approaches in the field of Materials Science. It owns the facility for the preparation and characterization of conductive polymers and for the realization of devices, also in flexible and wearable configuration: a chemical laboratory with spin coater, wet chemistry preparation, techniques of surface characterization, high resolution scanning electron microscopy, UV-visible spectrometer and high-resolution electro-meter. The team has a long expertise in advanced methods of synthesis and characterization of materials, as well as device manufacturing technologies, designed with the aim of exploring and demonstrating the functional properties of the materials themselves. The present invention falls within the fields of additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping and conductive polymers, biosensors. The proposed technology is a new composite with electrical conducting properties a Sterero Litographic (SL) resin based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), which provides the conducting properties, and Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), acting as is the picture attached. The passage from the material synthesis to a practical exploitation often requires some decades. In this respect, an exhaustive example is given by carbon nanotubes and/or graphene that, although at the basis of a large set of device prototypes, still lack of an actual killer application to go out from laboratories. Indeed, the Rapid Prototyping (RP) approach ensures the extraordinary opportunity to speed up the passage from the material development to their use in well performing devices, ensuring at the same time a highly repeatable fabrication process. Polymer development is approaching a new stage of advancement in which new functionalities especially in combination with conductive polymers and nanomaterials are more effective. In this context, the study of new composites is the key to enable the development of disruptive technologies as additive manufacturing. Increasing electrical conductivity opens the way to a new class of objects to be prototyped rapidly at low cost with a high level of customization. Further, the industry has seen a huge increase in the use of additive manufacturing techniques and a development of innovative technologies. The research team is looking the following types of cooperation: 1) Financial agreements: at least 80.000€ for fellow’s grants, materials and experimental set-up tools to obtain a new resin formulation to reach a TRL 6-7. After that 20.000€ are needed to cover Intellectual properties rights cost used to deposit the patents and relative extension to EU end WO. 2) Technical cooperation agreements to solve the following issues: reproducibility, long term stability, cost efficiency. 3) Research cooperation agreements, aimed at investigating synergies to apply to national, European, international projects in the domain of Material Science, Industrial Technologies, Additive Manufacturing. 4) Manufacturing agreements with MNE to achieve a high-volume production for the Resin after patenting the new formulation.