Project description
3D photo-printing solution for full recyclability
To achieve the Green Deal and sustainability goals, industries are integrating novel solutions to make products with improved material recyclability and circularity. In this context, 3D photo-printing technologies are essential tools for making manufacturing more sustainable. However, the accumulation of 3D printed end-of-life products is problematic, as the liquid ink is permanently transformed into a hardened, crosslinked photopolymer that cannot be recycled. The ERC-funded DeCoDER project aims to find a solution by developing new reversible functional building blocks that enable scalability and improved recyclability when introduced into crosslinked photopolymer materials. These building blocks will be used to design new inks for 3D photo-printing to introduce full recyclability and direct re-use of the photo-printed objects without the need for other chemicals.
Objective
As global dependence on synthetic materials is intensifying, waste-accumulation of end-of-life products has become a major concern. Specifically fast-growing 3D photo-printing technologies present a major challenge as a liquid ink is transformed into a permanently hardened crosslinked photo-polymer that can no longer be recycled. Current photochemical processes that underpin light-based 3D printing processes, however, fail to address the urgently needed closed loop recycling of the resulting 3D materials. Indeed, a fundamental step-change in the underlying, persistently used, chemical technology is urgently needed for 3D printed waste to be effectively and completely depolymerised into the same functional photo-ink for it to be intrinsically re-used in 3D-re-printing.
Here, an innovative concept is proposed that offers a ground-breaking solution to the problematic interplay of existing bond exchange reactions currently used in dynamic covalent networks, including 3D printed vitrimers. The idea relies on decoupling the underlying chemical equilibrium by independently regulating bond formation with light, and bond-breaking by temperature. For this, decoupled covalent dynamic exchange reactions (DeCoDERs) will be developed that show selective and sustained covalent bonding/debonding over multiple cycles. The novel DeCoDER systems will be transformed into functional platform building blocks through scalable protocols, allowing for their introduction into dynamic polymer materials. After evaluating the effect of consecutive de- and re-crosslinking of the equilibrium-decoupled material properties, the derived insights will be used to validate the proposed conceptual approach in light-based additive manufacturing. Specifically, a very first 3D photo-print-to-reprint technology will be devised with full recyclability of photo-printed objects into the same initial liquid photo-ink without needing additional chemicals, thereby enabling a direct, truly closed-loop re-print.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CV4 8UW COVENTRY
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.