Antimicrobial dual‐cured photopolymers of vanillin alcohol diglycidyl ether and glycerol dimethacrylate

Abstract Considering the current efforts for to develop new antimicrobial polymers from renewable resources suitable for application in environmentally friendly light‐based technologies, novel dual‐cured photopolymers of vanillin alcohol diglycidyl ether and glycerol dimethacrylate are developed. The kinetics of the sequential and simultaneous dual‐curing processes, combining free radical and cationic photopolymerizations, is investigated by real‐time photorheometry. Comparison of dual‐curing systems with different ratios of biobased epoxy and acrylate monomers revealed that the increase in the acrylate content increases the photocuring rate and improves the mechanical performance (Young's modulus increases from 76.64 to 190.71 MPa) and thermal stability (the 10% weight loss increases from 227 to 274°C) of the polymers, while the increase in the vanillin epoxy content results in better antimicrobial activity. Developed photopolymers create unfavorable conditions for the growth of microorganisms and reduce their population by up to 0% in 24 h. The excellent antibacterial and antifungal activity of new photopolymers allows them to be considered as biobased alternatives to petroleum‐based antimicrobial coatings, films, or optical 3D printed objects.