3D Printable Antimicrobial Polymer Blend

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an innovative manufacturing method for preparing designer materials with complex geometries. However, there are very few studies on the fabrication of antimicrobial polymer materials suitable for use in everyday clinical objects, via 3D printing. In this work, an antibacterial polymer material is prepared by blending polyamide 11 (matrix), a high-performance engineering thermoplastic, and a styrene maleimide copolymer with pendant quaternary amine moieties, and the blend 3D printed via selective laser sintering. The quaternary amine functionalities confer permanent antimicrobial properties. Blend properties are studied prior to printing via differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction, and FTIR spectroscopy. Additionally, the mechanical and antimicrobial properties of the polymer blends and printed material are also assessed. The microstructure of the 3D printed polymer materials is further characterized via DOSY NMR spectroscopy. This study indicates that this is a promising approach for preparing nonleaching antimicrobial 3D printable materials.