On the Mechanical Response of Silicon Dioxide Nanofiller Concentration on Fused Filament Fabrication 3D Printed Isotactic Polypropylene Nanocomposites

Abstract

Utilization of advanced engineering thermoplastic materials in fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing process is critical in expanding additive manufacturing (AM) applications. Polypropylene (PP) is a widely used thermoplastic material, while silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles (NPs), which can be found in many living organisms, are commonly employed as fillers in polymers to improve their mechanical properties and processability. In this work, PP/SiO2 nanocomposite filaments at various concentrations were developed following a melt mixing extrusion process, and used for FFF 3D printing of specimens’ characterization according to international standards. Tensile, flexural, impact, microhardness, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) tests were conducted to determine the effect of the nanofiller loading on the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the polymer matrix. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were performed for microstructural analysis, and finally melt flow index (MFI) tests were conducted to assess the melt rheological properties. An improvement in the mechanical performance was observed for silica loading up to 2.0 wt.%, while 4.0 wt.% was a potential threshold revealing processability challenges. Overall, PP/SiO2 nanocomposites could be ideal candidates for advanced 3D printing engineering applications towards structural plastic components with enhanced mechanical performance.

Affordable Biocidal Ultraviolet Cured Cuprous Oxide Filled Vat Photopolymerization Resin Nanocomposites with Enhanced Mechanical Properties

“…Commercially known AM technologies are fused filament fabrication (FFF), selective laser sintering (SLS), and stereolithography (SLA) [ 28 ]. FFF has been widely utilized even for home usage [ 27 , 29 ]. Consequently, sufficient research has been conducted on the materials of this AM technique, providing a continuously widening variety of composite materials with enhanced mechanical [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ], thermal, [ 35 , 36 , 37 ], and other properties.…”

Medical-Grade Polyamide 12 Nanocomposite Materials for Enhanced Mechanical and Antibacterial Performance in 3D Printing Applications

“…Intense interest has emerged in the last decade in the development of composite materials [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Such composites are still being developed to enhance the mechanical [ 12 , 15 , 16 ], thermal, [ 17 , 18 , 19 ], and chemical resistance performance [ 20 , 21 ], while in parallel, the introduction of new properties in thermoplastic matrices has been attempted for electrical conductivity [ 22 , 23 ], as well as antibacterial [ 4 , 24 ] and other properties. In this context, the use of nanotechnology is a prospective way of attributing properties to polymeric matrices [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Strain Rate Sensitivity of Polycarbonate and Thermoplastic Polyurethane for Various 3D Printing Temperatures and Layer Heights

“…AM processed polymers have been thoroughly studied for many different properties in the literature [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], while they have also showed promising results for circular economy applications and use [ 22 , 23 ]. Additionally, due to the increasing interest for the use of AM in various applications, extensive research has been conducted to enhance the antibacterial, thermal, electrical and mechanical properties of AM polymers, with the addition of fillers and nanofillers [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. AM technologies provide the ability to manufacture parts with increased complexity in their geometry, when compared to traditional polymers manufacturing technologies, i.e., injection molding, blown films etc.…”