September 2026

Journal

3D Printing of Polyelectrolyte Complex-Integrated Photocurable Hydrogel Resins

By:
Yang, Jinchul; Wang, Yangyang ; Angelopoulou Xanthopoulou, Polyxeni ; Keum, Jong K; Park, Jinyoung; Chen, Jihua ; Advincula, Rigoberto C
Journal Name:
ACS Applied Polymer Materials
Page Number:
15917-15927
Volume:
7
Issue Number:
23
Publication Date:
September 11, 2026
View DOI Listing:
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c03018

Abstract

In this study, we developed a photocurable hydrogel resin incorporating a polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) for 3D printing. Acrylamide-based monomers were formulated with varying PEC contents (0–15 wt %) in an aqueous KBr medium to fabricate patterned porous hydrogel structures. The morphology of printed hydrogels was characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Notably, the PEC5 and PEC10 formulations exhibited optimal thermal stability and compressive properties, attributed to the homogeneous distribution of PEC domains within the hydrogel matrix. Furthermore, dye adsorption experiments demonstrated excellent removal efficiency, highlighting the potential of PEC-containing hydrogels for environmental remediation applications, particularly in the treatment of dye-contaminated wastewater.