Binder effects in photopolymerized acrylate/zeolite composites for 3D printing/ion-exchange applications

In this paper, the influence of permanent binder was first determined on the photopolymerization process under mild condition (visible LED irradiation, at room temperature and under air) of LTA zeolite/polymer based composites. Different inorganic binders were tested in order to investigate their optical properties and to improve the mechanical properties after polymer removal by thermal treatment. Optimum formulation obtained with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) and colloidal silica demonstrates excellent Depth of Cure (DOC) and good spatial resolution. The monolith obtained after thermal treatment at 600 °C shows hierarchical porosity with high BET surface area and high compressive strength. Furthermore, Ni2+ and Sr2+ ion exchange capacities were evaluated and the effect of colloidal silica as binder was investigated. This work extends our understanding of highly-filled composites (solid content up to 60.8 wt% where zeolite content = 40 wt%/21 vol%) obtained by photopolymerization, and expands their applications for 3D printing of high-performance lightweight materials and ion exchange.