In Russia, researchers at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow have developed a biopolymer for 3D printing that overcomes many of the shortfalls of conventional 3D printing polymers—namely, lack of solvent resistance, poor adhesion, and shrinking when exposed to heat.
The work, published in a recent issue of Angewandte Chemie and led by Valentine P. Ananikov, describes the use of polyethylene-2,5-furandicarboxylate, a polymer produced from cellulose, in a commercially available 3D printer under standard settings. Tests showed that individual layers were firmly bound, the surface was smooth, and the objects were resistant to the strong solvent dichloromethane. PEF was also shown to have high thermal stability. The polarity of PEF could also open up new applications for 3D printing.