Combining Chromatographic, Rheological, and Mechanical Analysis to Study the Manufacturing Potential of Acrylic Blends into Polyacrylic Casts

Abstract

Polyacrylics have been considered for a broad range of material applications, including coatings, dental applications, and adhesives. In this experimental study, the casting potential of a group of (co)monomers belonging to the acrylic family has been explored to enable a more sustainable use of these polymer materials in the medical and veterinary science field. The individual contributions of each comonomer have been analyzed, the reaction conversion has been studied via gas chromatography (GC), the rheological behavior has been characterized via stress-controlled measurements, and the final mechanical properties have been obtained from tensile, flexure, and impact tests. The GC results allow assessing the pot life and thus the working window of the casting process. For the rheological measurements, which start from low-viscous mixtures, a novel protocol has been introduced to obtain accurate absolute data. The rheological data reflect the time dependencies of the GC data but facilitate a more direct link with the macroscopic material data. Specifically, the steep increase in the viscosity with increasing reaction time for the methyl methacrylate (MMA)/ethylene glycol dimethyl methacrylate (EGDMA) case (2% crosslinker) allows maximizing several mechanical properties: the tensile/flexure modulus, the tensile/flexure stress at break, and the impact strength. This opens the pathway to more dedicated chemistry design for corrosion casting and polyacrylic material design in general.

From identifying polymeric resins to corrosion casting applications

“…Recently, Reyes et al demonstrated the behavior of viscosity changes for MMA-based formulations undergoing polymerization. 36 The results of this study highlight the effect of the chemical formulation, shear rate, and temperature on the pot life of a polymerizing material. Once a viscosity value of 1000 mPa s was reached an assessment of the pot life became possible.…”

“…Recent rheological research has made clear that viscosity is not a static parameter that can be assessed without taking into account the local processing conditions. Likely one of the most important processing factors is the (varying) shear rate, which affects the way viscosity builds up in a casting system 36 . Therefore, it is worthwhile exploring the process condition variations that a casting resin undergoes as it is injected.…”

“…Likely one of the most important processing factors is the (varying) shear rate, which affects the way viscosity builds up in a casting system. 36 Therefore, it is worthwhile exploring the process condition variations that a casting resin undergoes as it is injected.…”

“…This review seeks to capture the state-of-the-art for the field of corrosion casting with an innovative multidisciplinary approach, also benefiting from recent research in our group covering more rheological and material science features. 36 Traditionally, research on corrosion casting has been conducted with life science as the core discipline and not materials science, chemical technology, or rheology. Therefore, research is frequently emphasized on biological aspects.…”

Multicomponent Acrylic Formulation Design for Corrosion Casting with Controlled Mechanical Properties

“…Previous more molecular-scale-driven research has shown that PMMA-based corrosion casting still needs to be adapted to better tune the pot life, the flow and filling performance and the durability and sustainability [ 32 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 40 , 41 ]. In this framework, the manufacturing of PMMA replicas is worthwhile to study both from the chemical-formulation-design and the polymer-processing-technique point of view with aims to deliver casts with more superior properties [ 42 ]. Chemical formulation design is at first sight the most interesting route for next-generation corrosion casting.…”