Influence of Al2O3 Nanoparticle Addition on a UV Cured Polyacrylate for 3D Inkjet Printing

Abstract

The brittleness of acrylic photopolymers, frequently used in 3D Inkjet printing, limits their utilization in structural applications. In this study, a process was developed for the production and characterization of an alumina-enhanced nanocomposite with improved mechanical properties for Inkjet printing. Ceramic nanoparticles with an average primary particle size (APPS) of 16 nm and 31 nm, which was assessed via high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), were functionalized with 3.43 and 5.59 mg/m² 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS), respectively, while being ground in a ball mill. The suspensions of the modified fillers in a newly formulated acrylic mixture showed viscosities of 14 and 7 mPa∙s at the printing temperature of 60 °C. Ink-jetting tests were conducted successfully without clogging the printing nozzles. Tensile tests of casted specimens showed an improvement of the tensile strength and elongation at break in composites filled with 31 nm by 10.7% and 74.9%, respectively, relative to the unfilled polymer.

Additive Manufacturing of Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems Electrodes

“…[49] Depending on the ink materials, a phase change (UV or IR curing), chemical reaction (polymerization), or solvent evaporation may be needed to fully harden ink materials. [49][50][51] Droplet size directly affects the dimensions of the spots printed via inkjet printers, thereby controlling the resolution of the components. Inkjet printers allow the deposition of spot <100 μm via piezoelectric actuation.…”

“…[54] Benefits such as tweakable properties (i.e., hardness, biocompatibility, electrical properties, and flexibility) and multicomponent printing are possible due to the droplet printing features. [50,51] This AMT is capable of printing polymer matrix composites with nanomaterials as fillers with increased mechanical performances (e.g., tensile strength). [50] The limitations of inkjet 3D printing include the requirement for ink morphologies, which should have viscosity between 8 and 25 mPa s and surface tension of 28-32 N m À1 at printing temperature.…”

“…[50,51] This AMT is capable of printing polymer matrix composites with nanomaterials as fillers with increased mechanical performances (e.g., tensile strength). [50] The limitations of inkjet 3D printing include the requirement for ink morphologies, which should have viscosity between 8 and 25 mPa s and surface tension of 28-32 N m À1 at printing temperature. [55]…”

Formulation of a Ceramic Ink for 3D Inkjet Printing

“…Furthermore, 3D inkjet printing is moving towards rapid manufacturing structural integrity in terms of the material gains importance and this will also be a subject of investigation in this work. As opposed to our earlier publications, which primarily dealt with the improvement of mechanical properties in polymer-ceramic composites with low filler content, the goal in this work is the maintenance of the mechanical properties while increasing filler content and thermal conductance [ 62 , 63 ]. Furthermore, more emphasis is placed on the enhancement of the ceramic stability in the organic matrix using small molecules.…”

Development of a Multi-Material Stereolithography 3D Printing Device

“…Unfortunately, the user is restricted to a set of fixed materials and closed software, both offered by the machine vendor. Material development for DoD printing is difficult due to its piezo-driven inkjet print-head, because the ink viscosity must be lower than 20 mPas at the printing temperature and all dispersed particles for the realization of functional composites must be smaller than 1 µm in order to avoid print-head nozzle clogging [33,34]. Individual layers cannot be detected after printing and post-curing, resulting in good mechanical properties.…”