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RESEARCH ARTICLE

3D Printing of a Graphene-Modified Photopolymer

Using Stereolithography for Biomedical

Applications: A Study of the Polymerization Reaction

S. Lopez de Armentia *, S. Fernández-Villamarín , Y. Ballesteros , J. C. del Real ,
1
1
1
1
N. Dunne 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 , E. Paz *
1
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute for Research in Technology, Universidad Pontificia Comillas,
Alberto Aguilera 25, 28015 Madrid, Spain
2 School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
3 Centre for Medical Engineering Research, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City
University, Dublin 9, Ireland
4 School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University of Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, United Kingdom
5 Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin,
Dublin 2, Ireland
6 Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (I-Form), School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City
University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland
7 Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Trinity
College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
8 Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
9 Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland

Abstract: Additive manufacturing is gaining importance thanks to its multiple advantages. Stereolithography (SLA)
shows the highest accuracy and the lowest anisotropy, which has facilitated the emergence of new applications as
dentistry or tissue engineering. However, the availability of commercial photopolymers is still limited, and there is an
increasing interest in developing resins with properties adapted for these new applications. The addition of graphene-
based nanomaterials (GBN) may provide interesting advantages, such as improved mechanical properties and bioactivity.
However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the effect of GBNs on the polymerization reaction. A photopolymerizable
acrylic resin has been used, and the effect of the addition of 0.1wt% of graphene (G); graphene oxide (GO) and graphite
nanoplatelets (GoxNP) on printability and polymerization have been investigated. It was observed that the effect depended
on GBN type, functionalization and structure (e.g., number of layers, size, and morphology) due to differences in the
extent of dispersion and light absorbance. The obtained results showed that GO and GoxNP did not significantly affect the
printability and quality of the final structure, whilst the application of G exhibited a negative effect in terms of printability
due to a reduction in the polymerization degree. GO and GoxNP-loaded resins showed a great potential to be used for
manufacturing structures by SLA.
Keywords: Nanocomposites; Graphene-based nanomaterials; Stereolithography; Photocurable polymer; Printing accuracy

*Correspondence to: S. Lopez de Armentia, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute for Research in Technology, Universidad Pontificia
Comillas, Alberto Aguilera Madrid, Spain; sara.lopez@comillas.edu; E. Paz, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute for Research in
Technology, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Alberto Aguilera 25, 28015 Madrid, Spain; eva.paz@comillas.edu
Received: September 20, 2021; Accepted: December 19, 2021; Published Online: January 13, 2022

Citation: Lopez de Armentia S, Fernández-Villamarín S, Ballesteros Y, et al., 2022, 3D Printing of a Graphene-Modified Photopolymer Using
Stereolithography for Biomedical Applications: A Study of the Polymerization Reaction. Int J Bioprint, 8(1):503. http:// doi.org/10.18063/ijb.
v8i1.503

© 2022 Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting distribution and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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