3D-Printing of Meso-structurally Ordered Carbon Fiber/Polymer Composites with Unprecedented Orthotropic Physical Properties

Abstract

Here we report the first example of a class of additively manufactured carbon fiber reinforced composite (AMCFRC) materials which have been achieved through the use of a latent thermal cured aromatic thermoset resin system, through an adaptation of direct ink writing (DIW) 3D-printing technology. We have developed a means of printing high performance thermoset carbon fiber composites, which allow the fiber component of a resin and carbon fiber fluid to be aligned in three dimensions via controlled micro-extrusion and subsequently cured into complex geometries. Characterization of our composite systems clearly show that we achieved a high order of fiber alignment within the composite microstructure, which in turn allows these materials to outperform equivalently filled randomly oriented carbon fiber and polymer composites. Furthermore, our AM carbon fiber composite systems exhibit highly orthotropic mechanical and electrical responses as a direct result of the alignment of carbon fiber bundles in the microscale which we predict will ultimately lead to the design of truly tailorable carbon fiber/polymer hybrid materials having locally programmable complex electrical, thermal and mechanical response.

Recent Progress in Additive Manufacturing of Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite

“…For material extrusion processes, it is found that initially the fibers are not fully aligned in the composite filament, but shearing force between fibers and nozzle walls gives rise to alignment . Simulation studies carried out by Lewicki et al and Yang et al suggest that internal surface‐to‐volume ratio of the nozzle and rheology properties of the continuous phase fluid are two important factors to achieve efficient shear alignment in extrusion. Yang et al observed that the fiber alignment is affected by the flow split that occurs outside the nozzle, thus resulting in a complex velocity contour of resin flow.…”

An investigation into 3D printing of fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites

“…The use of fibre reinforcements in 3D printing filaments for FFF is a topic of on-going research with both advancements in scientific literature as well as in commercial products, e.g. the MarkForged printers and the numerous reinforced thermoplastic filaments available on the market [2,24,31]. Table 1 shows an overview of the different studies performed to date on printing of reinforced filaments, showing the different methodologies and resulting relevant mechanical properties.…”

Polymer/Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) Nanocomposites Processing Using Additive Manufacturing (Three-Dimensional Printing) Technique: An Overview

“…The technology of 3DP allows accurate fabrication of complicated sub-micron to few meters range structures from models by computer-aided design (CAD) or animation modeling software [1][2][3]. 3DP, which is widely regarded as a revolution in manufacturing technology, has been developed for a large range of applications, for example, in the field of aerospace and automotive [4], energy storage [5], electronics [6], engineered composites [7], biotechnology, tissue engineering [8], medical and pharmaceutical domains [9]. 3DP utilizes different techniques for the manufacturing of prototypes.…”