Foundation chemistry of vat photopolymerization

At present, 3D printing has been applied in various industries, and the choice of printing materials has become a key factor restricting the further development of 3D printing technology. Vat photopolymerization technology is widely being used because of the advantages of fast printing speed, high precision of finished products, and no pollution to the environment, and UV-curable resin as the starting materials for vat photopolymerization plays a key role in the performance of the printing system. In this chapter, the foundation chemistry of vat photopolymerization is briefly introduced including the composition of the UV-curable resin and the structure–property relationship between molecular design and mechanical properties. It is expected that this chapter will suitable for the readers who are willing to participate in the materials development for vat photopolymerization.