3D‐Printable Nanoporous Thermosets via Disulfide‐Based Polymerization‐Induced Microphase Separation

X Xueheng Dai (Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN) School of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia) K Kenny Lee Y Yuan Xiu (Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN) School of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia) N Nathaniel Corrigan (Centre for Advanced Manufacturing Technology (CfAMT) School of Engineering Western Sydney University Sydney NSW Australia) K Kun Zhou (Key Laboratory of Animal Virology, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs of China and Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center of Animal Biological Products, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University College of Animal Sciences) X Xichuan Li (Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN) School of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia) C Christopher M. Bates (Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Materials Research Laboratory, and Department of Chemical Engineering) C Craig J. Hawker (Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Materials Research Laboratory, and Materials Department) C Cyrille Boyer (School of Chemical Engineering)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Interconnected nanoporous polymer networks are central to applications that demand rapid mass transport, yet their fabrication by polymerization‐induced microphase separation (PIMS) remains constrained by fixed macroCTA polarity, limited formulation compatibility, and difficult translation to additive manufacturing. Here, we address these limitations by introducing a PIMS strategy utilizing chemically degradable macroCTAs with systematically tunable hydrophilicity. These macroCTAs were synthesized via reversible addition−fragmentation chain‐transfer copolymerization of α‐lipoic acid or ethyl lipoate with various acrylates. This diverse library of macroCTAs enabled the preparation of microphase‐separated materials across a broad range of monomer and crosslinker chemistries, which were readily converted into nanoporous thermosets with well‐defined pore sizes (24–42 nm) via selective disulfide cleavage. Critically, these photocurable resins are compatible with liquid‐crystal display 3D printing, allowing the fabrication of complex, hierarchical architectures that can be directly etched to generate embedded nanoscale porosity while preserving structural integrity. Collectively, tunable and degradable macroCTAs bridge 3D‐printable form factors with programmable nanoscale structure, providing a general route to hierarchically structured materials for separations, catalysis, and advanced manufacturing.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 65, Issue 33
Published August 10, 2026
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (9)

X

Xueheng Dai

Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN) School of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia

K

Kenny Lee

Y

Yuan Xiu

Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN) School of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia

N

Nathaniel Corrigan

Centre for Advanced Manufacturing Technology (CfAMT) School of Engineering Western Sydney University Sydney NSW Australia

K

Kun Zhou

Key Laboratory of Animal Virology, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs of China and Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center of Animal Biological Products, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University College of Animal Sciences

X

Xichuan Li

Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN) School of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia

C

Christopher M. Bates

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Materials Research Laboratory, and Department of Chemical Engineering

C

Craig J. Hawker

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Materials Research Laboratory, and Materials Department

C

Cyrille Boyer

School of Chemical Engineering