Term of Award

Winter 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science in Applied Engineering (M.S.A.E.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Manufacturing Engineering

Committee Chair

Kamran kardel

Committee Member 1

Dragos amarie

Committee Member 2

rafael quirino

Abstract

This research focuses on the development and characterization of a biobased photocurable resin synthesized from soybean oil for use in stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing of microfluidic devices. The study explores a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based resins by performing an acrylation reaction on epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) to produce acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO), which was then formulated into a photocurable resin with the addition of a photo initiator. The fabrication process involved designing microfluidic molds in SolidWorks and printing them using an Elegoo Mars 4 SLA printer under various exposure and layer thickness parameters. The printed samples consisted of microchannels with depths ranging from 50 µm to 300 µm, enabling dimensional and surface consistency evaluation at different resolutions. Characterization efforts included spectroscopic and microscopic analyses to assess the chemical conversion and structural uniformity of the biobased resin. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to visualize the printed channel structures and analyze the surface morphology after gold sputtering. The study aimed to evaluate the dimensional accuracy, printability, and overall feasibility of AESO-based resins in microfluidic device fabrication compared to conventional materials. Based on the ongoing quantitative data, the analysis has provided valuable insights into resin synthesis stability, printing behavior, and process optimization to achieve fine microchannel geometries. Ultimately, this work contributes to the broader objective of establishing biobased photopolymers as environmentally friendly, high-performance materials for additive manufacturing applications in microfluidics and related biomedical technologies.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

Yes

Download

Files over 10MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "Save as..."

Share

COinS