Tailoring of Optical Properties of Methacrylate Resins Enriched by HPHT Microdiamond Particles

Abstract

Diamond particles have great potential to enhance the mechanical, optical, and thermal properties of diamond–polymer composites. However, the improved properties of diamond–polymer composites depend on the size, dispersibility, and concentration of diamond particles. In the present study, diamond–polymer composites were prepared by adding the microdiamond particles (MDPs) with different concentrations (0.2–1 wt.%) into polymers (acrylate resins) and then subjected to a photocuring process. The surface morphology and topography of the MDPs–polymer composites demonstrated a uniform high-density distribution of MDPs for one wt.% MPDs. Thermogravimetric analysis was employed to investigate the thermal stability of the MDPs–polymer composites. The addition of MDPs has significantly influenced the polymers’ thermal degradation. Absorption and emission spectra of thin layers were recorded through UV/Vis spectrophotometry and spectrofluorimetry. The obtained results revealed a significant increase in the fluorescence intensity of MDPs–polymer composites (at 1 wt.% of MDPs, a 1.5×, 2×, and 5× increase in fluorescence was observed for MDPs–green, MDPs–amber daylight, and MDPs–red resin, respectively) compared with the reference polymer resins. The obtained results of this work show the new pathways in producing effective and active 3D-printed optical elements.

Three-Dimensional Printing of Multifunctional Composites: Fabrication, Applications, and Biodegradability Assessment

“…Conductive organic/inorganic additives such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, and polypyrrole are mainly used for this purpose. These 3D-printed conductive polymer composites have shown great potential in electronics [52,74,75,92,96].…”

Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Polymeric Nanomaterials

“…Another area of the medical sciences where polymeric nanomaterials can be effective is the development of new antibacterial compounds for the production of protection devices or for use during surgery to prevent infectious diseases [4]. Polymers are also having a strong impact in the development of new technologies and the use of new nanopolymeric matrices in 3D printing, which can have positive effects on the production of new optical elements, with enhanced fluorescent emission [5]. Moreover, another aspect considered in this Special Issue concerns the optimization of the production of polymeric nanomaterials towards a green chemistry approach, starting from biodegradable and sustainable materials and involving the use of low-toxicity solvents to obtain environmentally friendly nanomaterials [6].…”