RESOURCES

Abstract
Abstract 3D printing of multicomponent materials as an advantageous method over traditional mold casting methods is demonstrated, developing small core–shell capsule composites fabricated by a two-step 3D printing process. Using a two-print-head system (fused deposition modeling extruder and a liquid inkjet print head), micro-sized capsules are manufactured in sizes ranging from 100 to 800 µm. The thermoplastic polymer poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is chosen as matrix/shell material due to its optimal interaction with the embedded hydrophobic liquids. First, the core–shell capsules are printed with model liquids and pure PCL to optimize the printing parameters and to ensure fully enclosed capsules inside the polymer. As a proof of concept, novel “click” reaction systems, used in self-healing and stress-detection applications, are manufactured in which PCL composites with nano- and micro-fillers are combined with reactive, encapsulated liquids. The so generated 3D printed core–shell capsule composite can be used for post-printing reactions and damage sensing when combined with a fluorogenic dye.

Abstract
Abstract The preparation and characterization of mechanoresponsive, 3D-printed composites are reported using a dual-printing setup for both, liquid dispensing and fused-deposition-modeling. The here reported stress-sensing materials are based on high- and low molecular weight mechanophores, including poly(ε-caprolactone)-, polyurethane-, and alkyl(C11)-based latent copper(I)bis(N-heterocyclic carbenes), which can be activated by compression to trigger a fluorogenic, copper(I)-catalyzed azide/alkyne “click”-reaction of an azide-functionalized fluorescent dye inside a bulk polymeric material. Focus is placed on the printability and postprinting activity of the latent mechanophores and the fluorogenic “click”-components. The multicomponent specimen containing both, azide and alkyne, are manufactured via a 3D-printer to place the components separately inside the specimen into void spaces generated during the FDM-process, which subsequently are filled with liquids using a separate liquid dispenser, located within the same 3D-printing system. The low-molecular weight mechanophores bearing the alkyl-C11 chains display the best printability, yielding a mechanochemical response after the 3D-printing process.

Abstract
We present a comprehensive investigation of mechanical properties of supramolecular polymer networks with rationally developed multistrength hydrogen-bonding interactions. Self-healing poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based elastomers with varying elasticity, fracture toughness, and the ability to dissipate strain energy through the reversible breakage and re-formation of the supramolecular interactions were obtained. By changing the ratio between isophorone diisocyanate (IU), 4,4′-methylenebis(cyclohexyl isocyanate) (MCU), and 4,4′-methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) (MPU) and by varying the molecular weight of the PDMS precursor, we obtained a library of poly(urea)s to study the interplay of mechanical performance and self-healability. The Young’s moduli of the presented materials ranged between 0.4 and 13 MPa and increased with decreasing molecular weight of the PDMS precursor and increasing content of MCU or MPU units related to the formation of stronger hydrogen-bonding interactions. By exchanging MPU against MCU units, we achieved an optimum balance between mechanical properties and self-healing performance, and by the additional reduction of the molecular weight of the precursor polymer, a minimum recovery of 80% in stress within 12 h at room temperature was observed. Selected poly(urea)s could be processed via 3D printing by the conventional extrusion method, obtaining dimensionally stable and freestanding objects.
We present a comprehensive investigation of mechanical properties of supramolecular polymer networks with rationally developed multistrength hydrogen-bonding interactions. Self-healing poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based elastomers with varying elasticity, fracture toughness, and the ability to dissipate strain energy through the reversible breakage and re-formation of the supramolecular interactions were obtained. By changing the ratio between isophorone diisocyanate (IU), 4,4′-methylenebis(cyclohexyl isocyanate) (MCU), and 4,4′-methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) (MPU) and by varying the molecular weight of the PDMS precursor, we obtained a library of poly(urea)s to study the interplay of mechanical performance and self-healability. The Young’s moduli of the presented materials ranged between 0.4 and 13 MPa and increased with decreasing molecular weight of the PDMS precursor and increasing content of MCU or MPU units related to the formation of stronger hydrogen-bonding interactions. By exchanging MPU against MCU units, we achieved an optimum balance between mechanical properties and self-healing performance, and by the additional reduction of the molecular weight of the precursor polymer, a minimum recovery of 80% in stress within 12 h at room temperature was observed. Selected poly(urea)s could be processed via 3D printing by the conventional extrusion method, obtaining dimensionally stable and freestanding objects.

Abstract
Abstract 3D printing of linear and three-arm star supramolecular polymers with attached hydrogen bonds and their nanocomposites is reported. The concept is based on hydrogen-bonded supramolecular polymers, known to form nano-sized micellar clusters. Printability is based on reversible thermal- and shear-induced dissociation of a supramolecular polymer network, which generates stable and self-supported structures after printing, as checked via melt-rheology and X-ray scattering. The linear and three-arm star poly(isobutylene)s PIB-B2 (Mn = 8500 g mol −1), PIB-B3 (Mn = 16 000 g mol −1), and linear poly(ethylene glycol)s PEG-B2 (Mn = 900 g mol−1, 8500 g mol −1) are prepared and then probed by melt-rheology to adjust the viscosity to address the proper printing window. The supramolecular PIB polymers show a rubber-like behavior and are able to form self-supported 3D printed objects at room temperature and below, reaching polymer strand diameters down to 200–300 µm. Nanocomposites of PIB-B2 with silica nanoparticles (12 nm, 5–15 wt%) are generated, in turn leading to an improvement of their shape persistence. A blend of the linear polymer PIB-B2 and the three-arm star polymer PIB-B3 (ratio ≈ 3/1 mol) reaches an even higher structural stability, able to build free-standing structures.