(9d) Additive Manufacturing of Core-Shell Microparticles Containing Thermosetting Resins

Cold spray deposition is a common additive manufacturing method for fabricating metal coatings that involves the spraying metal particles at high-speeds. However, this scalable, additive manufacturing process has not yet generated solid polymer coatings. Our study enables the cold spraying of solid polymer materials at room temperature. Here, we developed novel, core-shell thermoplastic microparticles containing a high concentration of thermosetting resins. Suspension polymerization was employed to produce the microparticles due to its many advantages, namely low conversion cost, mature scale-up processing, and a versatile tunability in terms of particle size and morphology. The thermal properties, size distribution, morphology, and composition of the particles were explored and fine-tuned in an effort to optimize the deposition of the particles at room temperature using cold spray technology. The outcome of this study is a novel form of sprayable thermosetting powders that deposit to form a coating with a high performance, easy operation processing, significant environmental benefits, and a commercial feasibility.