Comprehensive Characterization of Polymeric Composites Reinforced with Silica Microparticles Using Leftover Materials of Fused Filament Fabrication 3D Printing.

Waleed Ahmed,Sidra Siraj,Ali H Al-Marzouqi

doi:10.3390/polym13152423

Waleed Ahmed, Sidra Siraj + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13152423

Copy DOI

Journal: Polymers	Publication Date: Jul 23, 2021
Citations: 14	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: United Arab Emirates University

Abstract

Silica exhibits properties such that its addition into polymeric materials can result in an enhanced overall quality and improved characteristics and as a result silica has been widely used as a filler material for improving the rheological properties of polymeric materials. The usage of polymers in three-dimensional printing technology has grown exponentially, which has increased the amount of waste produced during this process. Several polymers, such as polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polylactic acid (PLA), and nylon, are applied in this emerging technology. In this study, the effect of the addition of silica as a filler on the mechanical, thermal, and bulk density properties of the composites prepared from the aforementioned polymeric waste was studied. In addition, the morphology of the composite materials was characterized via scanning electron microscopy. The composite samples were prepared with various silica concentrations using a twin extruder followed by hot compression. Generally, the addition of silica increased the tensile strength of the polymers. For instance, the tensile strength of PVA with 5 wt% filler increased by 76 MPa, whereas those of PP and PLA with 10 wt% filler increased by 7.15 and 121.03 MPa, respectively. The crystallinity of the prepared composite samples ranged from 14% to 35%, which is expected in a composite system. Morphological analysis revealed the random dispersion of silica particles and agglomerate formation at high silica concentrations. The bulk density of the samples decreased with increased amount of filler addition. The addition of silica influenced the changes in the characteristics of the polymeric materials. Furthermore, the properties presented in this study can be used to further study the engineering design, transportation, and production processes, promoting the recycling and reuse of such waste in the same technology with the desired properties.

Highlights

The global plastic consumption has drastically increased during the previous century, considerably increasing the amount of generated plastic waste [1]
Among the commonly used polymeric materials, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), and nylon are widely used in industries ranging from domestic packaging to automotive applications, primarily to enhance the mechanical properties of materials [3,4,5,6,7]
Where TS is the tensile strength in MPa, Fmax is the maximum force exerted on the specimen under tension in N, and A is the average cross-sectional area of the sample in mm2

Summary

Introduction

The global plastic consumption has drastically increased during the previous century, considerably increasing the amount of generated plastic waste [1]. Among the commonly used polymeric materials, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), and nylon are widely used in industries ranging from domestic packaging to automotive applications, primarily to enhance the mechanical properties of materials [3,4,5,6,7]. Among bio-based polymers, polylactic acid (PLA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are widely preferred in applications involving hydrogels, catalysts, and strengthened materials. They are even used in rapid manufacturing and prototyping to develop products such as packaging applications [8,9,10,11].

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion