3D Printing Of Maize Protein By Fused Deposition Modeling

Additive Manufacturing (AM) opens new perspectives for biopolymers to obtain functional parts, like biomedical devices, by exploiting their biocompatibility and resorbability. Plasticized materials from zein, a storage protein from maize seed endosperm, display thermomechanical properties that could match with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). The objective of this work was to evaluate their thermo-rheological behavior and their structural modifications during processing. 20% glycerol was added to commercial zein, containing naturally about 4% lipids and 5% water. After storage at intermediate relative humidity (RH=59%), its glass transition temperature, measured by DSC, was Tg=42°C. The main mechanical relaxation, measured by DMA, was found at Tα=50°C, leading to a drop of the elastic modulus from E’=1.1GPa, at ambient temperature, to E’=0.6MPa at Tα+100°C. These values are in a similar range as those of standard polymers used for AM-FDM processing, such as PLA and ABS. The structure of zein was character...