UV-curable 3D printing of polydimethylsiloxane elastomers for medical application

Abstract

UV-curable 3D printing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers has attracted increasing attention due to their exceptional high-temperature resistance, stable chemical properties, and biocompatibility, making them suitable for a wide range of applications in the biomedical, healthcare, aerospace, automotive, and apparel industries. However, the practical applications of UV-curable 3D printing PDMS elastomers, particularly in medical devices, remain limited by several challenges, including low mechanical properties, poor printability, and the restricted availability of PDMS precursors suitable for UV-curable 3D printing. These limitations are closely related to the difficulty of simultaneously meeting application requirements such as high elasticity, adequate elongation, tensile strength, toughness, durability, biocompatibility, sterilization resistance, and printing resolution. This contribution reviews recent advances in UV-curable 3D printing PDMS elastomers and discusses the challenges in this field from the perspectives of material chemistry and 3D printing technology. Additionally, the effects of PDMS-based ink formulation on printing performance and mechanical properties of 3D printing PDMS elastomers are examined. Finally, potential opportunities for fundamental research and industrial applications of UV-curable 3D printing PDMS elastomers are proposed.