Designing Sustainable Polymers: Lactate Esters for 3D Printing and Upcycling [data]

However, the use of bio-based polymers does not suffice to achieve this goal. Additionally, new chemical approaches enabling the re- or upcycling of polymer materials need to be explored.

Herein, we exploit lactate esters with different substituents as readily available bio-based molecules for the synthesis of printable monomers. The synthesis of these lactate ester-based monomers follows green chemistry principles by establishing a solvent-free, one-pot approach, relying on a reusable catalyst, and achieving high conversions (84 – 100%) at mild conditions. Further, these monomers are utilized in 3D printable ink formulations for digital light processing (DLP) for the first time in combination with a recycled crosslinker.