Fused Filament Fabrication Three-Dimensional Printing Multi-Functional of Polylactic Acid/Carbon Black Nanocomposites

Abstract

Conductive Polymer Composites (CPCs) have recently gained an extensive scientific interest as feedstock materials in Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) Three-dimensional (3D) printing. Polylactic Acid (PLA), widely used in FFF 3D printing, as well as its Carbon Black (CB) nanocomposites at different weight percentage (wt.%) filler loadings (0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 wt.%), were prepared via a melt mixing filament extrusion process in this study and utilized to manufacture FFF 3D printed specimens. The nanocomposites were examined for their electrical conductivity. The highest loaded 3D printed CPC (5.0 wt.%) was tested as an electrothermal Joule heating device. Static tensile, flexural, Charpy’s impact and Vickers microhardness mechanical properties were investigated for the neat and PLA/CB 3D printed nanocomposites. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) revealed a stiffening mechanism for the PLA/CB nanocomposites. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) elucidated the samples’ internal and external microstructural characteristics. The PLA/CB 5.0 wt.% nanocomposite demonstrated also antibacterial properties, when examined with a screening process, against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). It can be envisaged that the 3D printed PLA/CB CPCs exhibited a multi-functional performance, and could open new avenues towards low-cost personalized biomedical objects with complex geometry, amongst others, i.e., surgery tools, splints, wearables, etc.

Investigation of the Biocidal Performance of Multi-Functional Resin/Copper Nanocomposites with Superior Mechanical Response in SLA 3D Printing

“…Most strict regulations worldwide are introduced for medical devices, and the materials used in such applications are evaluated in depth for their reliability, safety, and effectiveness [ 39 ]. The development of such composite materials to be introduced in SLA AM technology could enable the development of stiff reliable composites with advanced electrical conductivity properties [ 40 , 41 , 42 ], antibacterial performance [ 14 , 31 , 43 ], etc. In this way, the manufacturing capabilities would be greatly increased, while the manufacturing cost could be reduced with the introduction of AM technology.…”

Development and Optimization of Medical-Grade Multi-Functional Polyamide 12-Cuprous Oxide Nanocomposites with Superior Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties for Cost-Effective 3D Printing

“…To overcome these issues and improve the performance of the parts produced by the FFF technology, composite materials are developed using well-established polymers in engineering applications (usually called engineering-grade polymers) as the matrix. Such composites are fabricated using fillers in micro/nano or fiber form to achieve improved mechanical [ 12 , 35 , 36 ], thermal [ 37 , 38 , 39 ], or electrical performance [ 11 , 40 , 41 ], compared to the matrix alone. Many additives hinder the flow of the material, so several studies on the flowability of composites exist in this field [ 12 , 42 ].…”

Mechanical Performance of Fused Filament Fabricated and 3D-Printed Polycarbonate Polymer and Polycarbonate/Cellulose Nanofiber Nanocomposites

“…Finally, it should be mentioned that in many studies, filler addition is creating a general decrease in the mechanical performance in order to tune other properties of the composite material (e.g., electrical conductivity [36], antibacterial [53]), while degradation was reported also in recycling processing [54]. The results of the mechanical performance presented in this study, in combination with the neutral effect of the CNF addition on the PC processing through FFF, are creating the foundations for further investigation of this filler to create multifunctional nanocomposite materials or enhance the properties of recycled polymers.…”

“…Another way to improve such anisotropy in mechanical and other properties is to create new composite materials [28][29][30][31]. Such materials can improve fusion in the 3D-printing structure while at the same time contribute to the improvement of mechanical [13,[32][33][34] and/or other properties [6,[35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42].…”