Instruction:
Prof. Hanna Dodiuk, Dr. Elizabeth Amir, and Prof. Shmuel Kenig

This project was conducted in collaboration with five bodies: the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering at Shenkar; two foreign companies (the German research institute Fraunhofer IFAM and CollTech); and on the Israeli side, the Weizmann Institute of Science and Polymer-G.

The project’s aim is to improve the mechanical and thermal properties of polymer materials (acrylates and epoxides) based on radiation hardening, which serve as adhesives and resins in the 3D printing industry, by including nanoparticles based on silica and tungsten disulfide. During the project, surface treatments for nanoparticles were researched and developed in order to improve their distribution in the polymeric matrices and enhance their mechanical and thermal properties. The project’s innovation is in the surface treatment of the nanoparticles with photoinitiators (material with photochemical activity) and surfactants (sealants) in order to increase the reaction of the radiation hardening.