The vast majority of photoresins for 3D printing (also referred to as additive manufacturing or AM) and related technologies are toxic, non-biodegradable, and sourced from unsustainable feedstocks. Non-traditional approaches to 3D printing offer a way to break free of the traditional confines of unsustainable petroleum-based reagents and chemical methods that require toxic monomers.
A recent collaboration between the University of Wisconsin’s Prof. AJ Boydston (Department of Chemistry) and Prof. Audrey Girard (Department of Food Science) has accomplished the first demonstration of additive manufacturing via protein denaturation (AMPD).
The paper is published in the journal Green Chemistry.