scholarly journals Influence of Reactive Chain Extension on the Properties of 3D Printed Poly(Lactic Acid) Constructs

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1381
Author(s):  
Maria-Eirini Grigora ◽  
Zoi Terzopoulou ◽  
Konstantinos Tsongas ◽  
Panagiotis Klonos ◽  
Nikolaos Kalafatakis ◽  
...  

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is currently the most popular 3D printing method, where thermoplastic polymers are predominantly used. Among them, the biobased poly(lactic acid) (PLA) governs the FDM filament market, with demand higher than supply, since not all grades of PLA are suitable for FDM filament production. In this work, the effect of a food grade chain extender (Joncryl ADR® 4400) on the physicochemical properties and printability of PLA marketed for injection molding was examined. All samples were characterized in terms of their mechanical and thermal properties. The microstructure of the filaments and 3D-printed fractured surfaces following tensile testing were examined with optical and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Molecular weight and complex viscosity increased, while the melt flow index decreased after the incorporation of Joncryl, which resulted in filaments of improved quality and 3D-printed constructs with enhanced mechanical properties. Dielectric spectroscopy revealed that the bulk properties of PLA with respect to molecular mobility, both local and segmental, were, interestingly, not affected by the modifier. Indirectly, this may suggest that the major effects of the extender are on chain length, without inducing chain branching, at least not to a significant extent.

2021 ◽  
pp. 002199832098856
Author(s):  
Marcela Piassi Bernardo ◽  
Bruna Cristina Rodrigues da Silva ◽  
Luiz Henrique Capparelli Mattoso

Injured bone tissues can be healed with scaffolds, which could be manufactured using the fused deposition modeling (FDM) strategy. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the most biocompatible polymers suitable for FDM, while hydroxyapatite (HA) could improve the bioactivity of scaffold due to its chemical composition. Therefore, the combination of PLA/HA can create composite filaments adequate for FDM and with high osteoconductive and osteointegration potentials. In this work, we proposed a different approache to improve the potential bioactivity of 3D printed scaffolds for bone tissue engineering by increasing the HA loading (20-30%) in the PLA composite filaments. Two routes were investigated regarding the use of solvents in the filament production. To assess the suitability of the FDM-3D printing process, and the influence of the HA content on the polymer matrix, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed. The HA phase content of the composite filaments agreed with the initial composite proportions. The wettability of the 3D printed scaffolds was also increased. It was shown a greener route for obtaining composite filaments that generate scaffolds with properties similar to those obtained by the solvent casting, with high HA content and great potential to be used as a bone graft.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3234
Author(s):  
Wangwang Yu ◽  
Lili Dong ◽  
Wen Lei ◽  
Yuhan Zhou ◽  
Yongzhe Pu ◽  
...  

To develop a new kind of environment-friendly composite filament for fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing, rice straw powder (RSP)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) biocomposites were FDM-3D-printed, and the effects of the particle size and pretreatment of RSP on the properties of RSP/PLA biocomposites were investigated. The results indicated that the 120-mesh RSP/PLA biocomposites (named 120#RSP/PLA) showed better performance than RSP/PLA biocomposites prepared with other RSP sizes. Infrared results showed that pretreatment of RSP by different methods was successful, and scanning electron microscopy indicated that composites prepared after pretreatment exhibited good interfacial compatibility due to a preferable binding force between fiber and matrix. When RSP was synergistically pretreated by alkaline and ultrasound, the composite exhibited a high tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of 58.59, 568.68, 90.32, and 3218.12 MPa, respectively, reflecting an increase of 31.19%, 16.48%, 18.75%, and 25.27%, respectively, compared with unmodified 120#RSP/PLA. Pretreatment of RSP also improved the thermal stability and hydrophobic properties, while reducing the water absorption of 120#RSP/PLA. This work is believed to provide highlights of the development of cost-effective biocomposite filaments and improvement of the properties of FDM parts.


Author(s):  
Rupinder Singh ◽  
Sanjeev Kumar ◽  
Amrinder Pal Singh ◽  
Yang Wei

In the past two decades number of studies have been reported on the use of thermoplastics as a substrate for 3D printed patch antennas. However, no work has been reported on the thermoplastic-thermosetting composite-based substrate for 3D printed patch antennas and their mechanical, morphological, rheological, and radiofrequency (RF) characterization for sensing applications. In this study low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and LDPE-5% bakelite (BAK) composite-based patch antenna (resonating frequency 2.45 GHz) were printed (for secondary recycling) on fused deposition modeling (FDM) setup. The RF characteristics were measured using a vector network analyzer (VNA). Ring resonator test was used for measuring the dielectric properties of substrates (which suggests that the dielectric constant ([Formula: see text]) and loss tangent ([Formula: see text]) for LDPE was 2.282 and 0.0045, whereas for LDPE-5%BAK the calculated [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] was 2.0663, 0.0051 respectively). This study highlights that for the LDPE-5%BAK composite there was a marginal increase in the size of the patch antenna; but this resulted in improved transmittance, gain, and return loss for typical sensor applications. As regards to printability of substrate, 5% BAK resulted in a melt flow index (MFI) of 9.96 g/10 min in contrast to 12.208 g/10 min for a neat LDPE sample. The selected LDPE-5%BAK composite resulted in peak strength (PS) and break strength (BS) of 16.08 MPa and 14.47 MPa (at 180 °C screw temperature, 110 rpm, and 11 kg load) while processing with a twin-screw extruder (TSE), which was observed better than the neat LDPE (PS 11.98 MPa, BS 10.79 MPa). The results were supported with porosity (%), surface roughness (Ra) analysis based upon scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and bond strength using attenuated total reflection (ATR) based Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) analysis.


BioResources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 7122-7138
Author(s):  
Sang-U Bae ◽  
Young-Rok Seo ◽  
Birm-June Kim ◽  
Min Lee

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology is the most common system for polymer additive manufacturing (AM). Recent studies have been conducted to expand both the range of materials that can be used for FDM and their applications. As a filler, wood flour was incorporated into poly lactic acid (PLA) polymer to develop a biocomposite material. Composite filaments were manufactured with various wood flour contents and then successfully used for 3D printing. Morphological, mechanical, and biodegradation properties of FDM 3D-printed PLA composites were investigated. To mitigate brittleness, 5 phr of maleic anhydride grafted ethylene propylene diene monomer (MA-EPDM) was added to the composite blends, and microstructural properties of the composites were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical strength tests demonstrated that elasticity was imparted to the composites. Additionally, test results showed that the addition of wood flour to the PLA matrix promoted pore generation and further influenced the mechanical and biodegradation properties of the 3D-printed composites. An excellent effect of wood flour on the biodegradation properties of FDM 3D-printed PLA composites was observed.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2334
Author(s):  
Prisca Aude Eutionnat-Diffo ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Jinping Guan ◽  
Aurelie Cayla ◽  
Christine Campagne ◽  
...  

Wear resistance of conductive Poly Lactic Acid monofilament 3D printed onto textiles, through Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process and their electrical conductivity after abrasion are important to consider in the development of smart textiles with preserved mechanical and electrical properties. The study aims at investigating the weight loss after abrasion and end point of such materials, understanding the influence of the textile properties and 3D printing process parameters and studying the impact of the abrasion process on the electrical conductivity property of the 3D printed conductive polymers onto textiles. The effects of the 3D printing process and the printing parameters on the structural properties of textiles, such as the thickness of the conductive Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) 3D printed onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) textile and the average pore sizes of its surface are also investigated. Findings demonstrate that the textile properties, such as the pattern and the process settings, for instance, the printing bed temperature, impact significantly the abrasion resistance of 3D printed conductive Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) onto PET woven textiles. Due to the higher capacity of the surface structure and stronger fiber-to-fiber cohesion, the 3D printed conductive polymer deposited onto textiles through Fused Deposition Modeling process have a higher abrasion resistance and lower weight loss after abrasion compared to the original fabrics. After printing the mean pore size, localized at the surface of the 3D-printed PLA onto PET textiles, is five to eight times smaller than the one of the pores localized at the surface of the PET fabrics prior to 3D printing. Finally, the abrasion process did considerably impact the electrical conductivity of 3D printed conductive PLA onto PET fabric.


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