This study focused on the production of polypropylene(PP)/silver(Ag)composites via additive manufacturing.This study aimed to enhance the quality of medical-grade PP in material extrusion(MEX)three-dimensional printin...This study focused on the production of polypropylene(PP)/silver(Ag)composites via additive manufacturing.This study aimed to enhance the quality of medical-grade PP in material extrusion(MEX)three-dimensional printing(3DP)by improving its mechanical properties while simultaneously adding antibacterial properties.The latter can find extremely important and versatile properties that are applicable in defense and security domains.PP/Ag nanocomposites were prepared using a novel method based on a reaction occurring while mixing appropriate quantities of the starting polymers and additives,namely polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)as the matrix material and silver nitrate(AgNO_(3))as the filler.This process produced three-dimensional(3D)printed filaments,which were then used to create specimens for a series of standardized tests.It was found that the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were enhanced in relation to pristine PP,especially for the PP matrix with various loadings of AgNO_(3)and PVP,such as 5.0 wt%and 2.5 wt%,respectively.The voids,inclusions,and actual-to-nominal dimensions also showed improved results.The 3DP specimens exhibited a more effective biocidal performance against Staphylococcus aureus than Escherichia coli,which developed an inhibition zone only in the case of PP with filler loading percentages of AgNO_(3)and PVP at 10.0 wt%and 5.0 wt%,respectively Compounds possessing such properties can be beneficial for various applications requiring increased mechanical properties and biocidal capabilities,such as in the Defence or medical industries.展开更多
In this study, we investigated the performance improvement caused by the addition of copper(Cu)nanoparticles to high-density polyethylene(HDPE) matrix material. Composite materials, with filler percentages of 0.0, 2.0...In this study, we investigated the performance improvement caused by the addition of copper(Cu)nanoparticles to high-density polyethylene(HDPE) matrix material. Composite materials, with filler percentages of 0.0, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, and 10.0 wt% were synthesized through the material extrusion(MEX)3D printing technique. The synthesized nanocomposite filaments were utilized for the manufacturing of specimens suitable for the experimental procedure that followed. Hence, we were able to systematically investigate their tensile, flexural, impact, and microhardness properties through various mechanical tests that were conducted according to the corresponding standards. Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy was used to investigate the electrical/dielectric properties of the composites. Moreover, by employing means of Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) we were also able to further investigate their vibrational, structural, and thermal properties. Concomitantly, means of scanning electron microscopy(SEM), as well as atomic force microscopy(AFM), were used for the examination of the morphological and structural characteristics of the synthesized specimens, while energy-dispersive Xray spectroscopy(EDS) was also performed in order to receive a more detailed picture on the structural characteristics of the various synthesized composites. The corresponding nanomaterials were also assessed for their antibacterial properties regarding Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) and Escherichia coli(E. coli) with the assistance of a method named screening agar well diffusion. The results showed that the mechanical properties of HDPE benefited from the utilization of Cu as a filler, as they showed a notable improvement. The specimen of HDPE/Cu 4.0 wt% was the one that presented the highest levels of reinforcement in four out of the seven tested mechanical properties(for example, it exhibited a 36.7%improvement in the flexural strength, compared to the pure matrix). At the same time, the nanocomposites were efficient against the S. aureus bacterium and less efficient against the E. coli bacterium.The use of such multi-functional, robust nanocomposites in MEX 3D printing is positively impacting applications in various fields, most notably in the defense and security sectors. The latter becomes increasingly important if one takes into account that most firearms encompass various polymeric parts that require robustness and improved mechanical properties, while at the same time keeping the risk of spreading various infectious microorganisms at a bare minimum.展开更多
Additive Manufacturing(AM)can provide customized parts that conventional techniques fail to deliver.One important parameter in AM is the quality of the parts,as a result of the material extrusion 3D printing(3D-P)proc...Additive Manufacturing(AM)can provide customized parts that conventional techniques fail to deliver.One important parameter in AM is the quality of the parts,as a result of the material extrusion 3D printing(3D-P)procedure.This can be very important in defense-related applications,where optimum performance needs to be guaranteed.The quality of the Polyetherimide 3D-P specimens was examined by considering six control parameters,namely,infill percentage,layer height,deposition angle,travel speed,nozzle,and bed temperature.The quality indicators were the root mean square(Rq)and average(Ra)roughness,porosity,and the actual to nominal dimensional deviation.The examination was performed with optical profilometry,optical microscopy,and micro-computed tomography scanning.The Taguchi design of experiments was applied,with twenty-five runs,five levels for each control parameter,on five replicas.Two additional confirmation runs were conducted,to ensure reliability.Prediction equations were constructed to express the quality indicators in terms of the control parameters.Three modeling approaches were applied to the experimental data,to compare their efficiency,i.e.,Linear Regression Model(LRM),Reduced Quadratic Regression Model,and Quadratic Regression Model(QRM).QRM was the most accurate one,still the differences were not high even considering the simpler LRM model.展开更多
文摘This study focused on the production of polypropylene(PP)/silver(Ag)composites via additive manufacturing.This study aimed to enhance the quality of medical-grade PP in material extrusion(MEX)three-dimensional printing(3DP)by improving its mechanical properties while simultaneously adding antibacterial properties.The latter can find extremely important and versatile properties that are applicable in defense and security domains.PP/Ag nanocomposites were prepared using a novel method based on a reaction occurring while mixing appropriate quantities of the starting polymers and additives,namely polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)as the matrix material and silver nitrate(AgNO_(3))as the filler.This process produced three-dimensional(3D)printed filaments,which were then used to create specimens for a series of standardized tests.It was found that the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were enhanced in relation to pristine PP,especially for the PP matrix with various loadings of AgNO_(3)and PVP,such as 5.0 wt%and 2.5 wt%,respectively.The voids,inclusions,and actual-to-nominal dimensions also showed improved results.The 3DP specimens exhibited a more effective biocidal performance against Staphylococcus aureus than Escherichia coli,which developed an inhibition zone only in the case of PP with filler loading percentages of AgNO_(3)and PVP at 10.0 wt%and 5.0 wt%,respectively Compounds possessing such properties can be beneficial for various applications requiring increased mechanical properties and biocidal capabilities,such as in the Defence or medical industries.
文摘In this study, we investigated the performance improvement caused by the addition of copper(Cu)nanoparticles to high-density polyethylene(HDPE) matrix material. Composite materials, with filler percentages of 0.0, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, and 10.0 wt% were synthesized through the material extrusion(MEX)3D printing technique. The synthesized nanocomposite filaments were utilized for the manufacturing of specimens suitable for the experimental procedure that followed. Hence, we were able to systematically investigate their tensile, flexural, impact, and microhardness properties through various mechanical tests that were conducted according to the corresponding standards. Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy was used to investigate the electrical/dielectric properties of the composites. Moreover, by employing means of Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) we were also able to further investigate their vibrational, structural, and thermal properties. Concomitantly, means of scanning electron microscopy(SEM), as well as atomic force microscopy(AFM), were used for the examination of the morphological and structural characteristics of the synthesized specimens, while energy-dispersive Xray spectroscopy(EDS) was also performed in order to receive a more detailed picture on the structural characteristics of the various synthesized composites. The corresponding nanomaterials were also assessed for their antibacterial properties regarding Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) and Escherichia coli(E. coli) with the assistance of a method named screening agar well diffusion. The results showed that the mechanical properties of HDPE benefited from the utilization of Cu as a filler, as they showed a notable improvement. The specimen of HDPE/Cu 4.0 wt% was the one that presented the highest levels of reinforcement in four out of the seven tested mechanical properties(for example, it exhibited a 36.7%improvement in the flexural strength, compared to the pure matrix). At the same time, the nanocomposites were efficient against the S. aureus bacterium and less efficient against the E. coli bacterium.The use of such multi-functional, robust nanocomposites in MEX 3D printing is positively impacting applications in various fields, most notably in the defense and security sectors. The latter becomes increasingly important if one takes into account that most firearms encompass various polymeric parts that require robustness and improved mechanical properties, while at the same time keeping the risk of spreading various infectious microorganisms at a bare minimum.
文摘Additive Manufacturing(AM)can provide customized parts that conventional techniques fail to deliver.One important parameter in AM is the quality of the parts,as a result of the material extrusion 3D printing(3D-P)procedure.This can be very important in defense-related applications,where optimum performance needs to be guaranteed.The quality of the Polyetherimide 3D-P specimens was examined by considering six control parameters,namely,infill percentage,layer height,deposition angle,travel speed,nozzle,and bed temperature.The quality indicators were the root mean square(Rq)and average(Ra)roughness,porosity,and the actual to nominal dimensional deviation.The examination was performed with optical profilometry,optical microscopy,and micro-computed tomography scanning.The Taguchi design of experiments was applied,with twenty-five runs,five levels for each control parameter,on five replicas.Two additional confirmation runs were conducted,to ensure reliability.Prediction equations were constructed to express the quality indicators in terms of the control parameters.Three modeling approaches were applied to the experimental data,to compare their efficiency,i.e.,Linear Regression Model(LRM),Reduced Quadratic Regression Model,and Quadratic Regression Model(QRM).QRM was the most accurate one,still the differences were not high even considering the simpler LRM model.
