Effects of Chitosan Addition on Mechanical, Surface, and Antibacterial Properties of Three-Dimensional-Printed Photopolymers

Abstract

The use of photopolymer resins in three-dimensional (3D) printing has increased rapidly due to monomers or oligomers, solvents, photoinitiators, and a few additives serving as auxiliary agents for particular functions in this resin. However, the devices or parts with antibacterial properties are still necessary. This study investigated the effects of chitosan addition on the mechanical, surface, and antimicrobial properties of 3D-printed photopolymer samples. Results indicated that the average tensile strength dropped from 14.08 MPa to 11.82 MPa, and the average surface roughness of specimens increased from 0.305 µm to 0.659 µm as the chitosan/resin concentration increased from 0% to 0.2%, respectively. In addition, the contact angle increased when chitosan/resin concentrations increased. Furthermore, all chitosan-containing specimens showed at least an 80% relative antibacterial ability. The findings indicate that 3D-printed photopolymer resins with chitosan addition have potential for prosthetics application.