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Applied Sciences
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Polymer Nanocomposite for 3D Printing and Applications
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Polymer Nanocomposite for 3D Printing and Applications

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanotechnology and Applied Nanosciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2019) | Viewed by 30676

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Philippe Lambin

grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics, University of Namur, Rue de Bruxelles 61, B-5000 Namur, Belgium
Interests: theoretical solid-state physics; nanosciences; structural; mechanical and electronic properties of carbon nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Additive manufacturing is a becoming an important tool for the making of complex objects in unique or small series production. Different technologies exist for printing 3D objects, among which some utilize a polymer as feeding material. The polymer used must satisfy specific properties (thermosoftening, photopolymerization, etc.) depending on the kind of printer. Additional requirements may come from the object to be produced, according to the desired mechanical, thermal, electrical, etc., characteristics. For some applications, it is therefore necessary to load the polymer with a filling material specifically chosen in view of the final product. In this context, nanomaterials are interesting fillers. The composite obtained must improve the properties of the printed object, while compiling with the printer specifications. Due to many constraints that are not always compatible, designing these nanocomposites may be a challenge that demands intensive investigations. This is what the Special Issue is about. Submitted papers must deal with the fabrication or the characterization of nanocomposite specially designed for 3D printing. Alternatively, they may describe specific properties or applications of objects made with a 3D printer fed with a nanocomposite polymer.

Prof. Dr. Philippe Lambin
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • AM (additive manufacturing)
  • polymer 3D printer
  • polymer nanocomposites
  • FDM (fused deposition modelling)
  • SLS (selective laser sintering)
  • SLA (stereolithography)

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 5337 KiB  
Article
PLA/Graphene/MWCNT Composites with Improved Electrical and Thermal Properties Suitable for FDM 3D Printing Applications
by Evgeni Ivanov, Rumiana Kotsilkova, Hesheng Xia, Yinghong Chen, Ricardo K. Donato, Katarzyna Donato, Anna Paula Godoy, Rosa Di Maio, Clara Silvestre, Sossio Cimmino and Verislav Angelov
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(6), 1209; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9061209 - 22 Mar 2019
Cited by 150 | Viewed by 10561
Abstract
In this study, the structure, electrical and thermal properties of ten polymer compositions based on polylactic acid (PLA), low-cost industrial graphene nanoplates (GNP) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in mono-filler PLA/MWCNT and PLA/GNP systems with 0–6 wt.% filler content were investigated. Filler dispersion [...] Read more.
In this study, the structure, electrical and thermal properties of ten polymer compositions based on polylactic acid (PLA), low-cost industrial graphene nanoplates (GNP) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in mono-filler PLA/MWCNT and PLA/GNP systems with 0–6 wt.% filler content were investigated. Filler dispersion was further improved by combining these two carbon nanofillers with different geometric shapes and aspect ratios in hybrid bi-filler nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy exhibited uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in a polymer matrix. The obtained results have shown that for the mono-filler systems with MWCNT or GNP, the electrical conductivity increased with decades. Moreover, a small synergistic effect was observed in the GNP/MWCNT/PLA bi-filler hybrid composites when combining GNP and CNT at a ratio of 3% GNP/3% CNT and 1.5% GNP:4.5% CNT, showing higher electrical conductivity with respect to the systems incorporating individual CNTs and GNPs at the same overall filler concentration. This improvement was attributed to the interaction between CNTs and GNPs limiting GNP aggregation and bridging adjacent graphene platelets thus, forming a more efficient network. Thermal conductivity increases with higher filler content; this effect was more pronounced for the mono-filler composites based on PLA and GNP due to the ability of graphene to better transfer the heat. Morphological analysis carried out by electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) and Raman indicated that the nanocomposites present smaller and more homogeneous filler aggregates. The well-dispersed nanofillers also lead to a microstructure which is able to better enhance the electron and heat transfer and maximize the electrical and thermal properties. The obtained composites are suitable for the production of a multifunctional filament with improved electrical and thermal properties for different fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing applications and also present a low production cost, which could potentially increase the competitiveness of this promising market niche. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Nanocomposite for 3D Printing and Applications)
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15 pages, 3424 KiB  
Article
Selective Laser Sintering Fabricated Thermoplastic Polyurethane/Graphene Cellular Structures with Tailorable Properties and High Strain Sensitivity
by Alfredo Ronca, Gennaro Rollo, Pierfrancesco Cerruti, Guoxia Fei, Xinpeng Gan, Giovanna G. Buonocore, Marino Lavorgna, Hesheng Xia, Clara Silvestre and Luigi Ambrosio
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(5), 864; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9050864 - 28 Feb 2019
Cited by 51 | Viewed by 7729
Abstract
Electrically conductive and flexible thermoplastic polyurethane/graphene (TPU/GE) porous structures were successfully fabricated by selective laser sintering (SLS) technique starting from graphene (GE)-wrapped thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powders. Several 3D mathematically defined architectures, with porosities from 20% to 80%, were designed by using triply periodic [...] Read more.
Electrically conductive and flexible thermoplastic polyurethane/graphene (TPU/GE) porous structures were successfully fabricated by selective laser sintering (SLS) technique starting from graphene (GE)-wrapped thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powders. Several 3D mathematically defined architectures, with porosities from 20% to 80%, were designed by using triply periodic minimal surfaces (TMPS) equations corresponding to Schwarz (S), Diamond (D), and Gyroid (G) unit cells. The resulting three-dimensional porous structures exhibit an effective conductive network due to the segregation of graphene nanoplatelets previously assembled onto the TPU powder surface. GE nanoplatelets improve the thermal stability of the TPU matrix, also increasing its glass transition temperature. Moreover, the porous structures realized by S geometry display higher elastic modulus values in comparison to D and G-based structures. Upon cyclic compression tests, all porous structures exhibit a robust negative piezoresistive behavior, regardless of their porosity and geometry, with outstanding strain sensitivity. Gauge factor (GF) values of 12.4 at 8% strain are achieved for S structures at 40 and 60% porosity, and GF values up to 60 are obtained for deformation extents lower than 5%. Thermal conductivity of the TPU/GE structures significantly decreases with increasing porosity, while the effect of the structure architecture is less relevant. The TPU/GE porous structures herein reported hold great potential as flexible, highly sensitive, and stable strain sensors in wearable or implantable devices, as well as dielectric elastomer actuators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Nanocomposite for 3D Printing and Applications)
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12 pages, 492 KiB  
Article
Electrokinetic Properties of 3D-Printed Conductive Lattice Structures
by Philippe Lambin, Alexander V. Melnikov and Mikhail Shuba
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(3), 541; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9030541 - 6 Feb 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3768
Abstract
Lattice structures with lattice parameters in the mm range are routinely fabricated by additive manufacturing. Combining light weight and mechanical strength, these structures have plenty of potential applications. When composed of conducting elements, a 3D lattice has interesting electrical and electromagnetic properties. In [...] Read more.
Lattice structures with lattice parameters in the mm range are routinely fabricated by additive manufacturing. Combining light weight and mechanical strength, these structures have plenty of potential applications. When composed of conducting elements, a 3D lattice has interesting electrical and electromagnetic properties. In this work, the electrokinetic properties of a conducting lattice are described by mixing the theory of resistor networks and continuous-medium electrodynamics. Due to the length scale provided by the lattice parameter, the effective continuous medium that mimics the electrokinetic response of a resistor lattice is characterized by a non-local Ohm’s law. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Nanocomposite for 3D Printing and Applications)
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15 pages, 4609 KiB  
Article
Effects of Graphene Nanoplatelets and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Poly(lactic acid) Composites: A Comparative Study
by Todor Batakliev, Ivanka Petrova-Doycheva, Verislav Angelov, Vladimir Georgiev, Evgeni Ivanov, Rumiana Kotsilkova, Marcello Casa, Claudia Cirillo, Renata Adami, Maria Sarno and Paolo Ciambelli
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(3), 469; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9030469 - 30 Jan 2019
Cited by 111 | Viewed by 7436
Abstract
Poly(lactic acid)/graphene and poly(lactic acid)/carbon nanotube nanocomposites were prepared by an easy and low-cost method of melt blending of preliminary grinded poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with nanosized carbon fillers used as powder. Morphological, structural and mechanical properties were investigated to reveal the influence of [...] Read more.
Poly(lactic acid)/graphene and poly(lactic acid)/carbon nanotube nanocomposites were prepared by an easy and low-cost method of melt blending of preliminary grinded poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with nanosized carbon fillers used as powder. Morphological, structural and mechanical properties were investigated to reveal the influence of carbon nanofiller on the PLA–based composite. The dependence of tensile strength on nanocomposite loading was defined by a series of experiments over extruded filaments using a universal mechanical testing instrument. The applying the XRD technique disclosed that compounds crystallinity significantly changed upon addition of multi walled carbon nanotubes. We demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy can be used as a quick and unambiguous method to determine the homogeneity of the nanocomposites in terms of carbon filler dispersion in a polymer matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Nanocomposite for 3D Printing and Applications)
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