Abstract
Additive manufacturing has surged in popularity as a route to designing and preparing functional parts. Depending on the parts function, certain attributes such as high mechanical performances may be desired. We develop a route for improving the mechanical properties of polymer devices, fabricated through additive manufacturing by combining electrospinning and stereo-lithography into one automated process. This process utilises the impressive mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes by encapsulating and aligning them in electrospun fibres. Composite fibres will be incorporated into polymer resins prepared with stereo-lithography, thereby providing resins that benefit from the composite fibres properties, enhancing their overall mechanical properties.
Highlights
There has been a huge surge of research in the area of additive manufacturing (AM) over the last few years
Various examples are present in the literature where nanoparticles with a high aspect ratio such as carbon nanotubes [2], glass fibre [3]and nanocellulose [4]all boost the mechanical properties of a polymeric material
In this paper we describe a route to prepare aligned arrays of multi walled carbon nanotubes and incorporate them in the additive manufacturing process through a combination of electrospinning and stereo-lithography
Summary
There has been a huge surge of research in the area of additive manufacturing (AM) over the last few years. Various examples are present in the literature where nanoparticles with a high aspect ratio such as carbon nanotubes [2], glass fibre [3]and nanocellulose [4]all boost the mechanical properties of a polymeric material Nanoparticulates such as those listed above, exhibit enhanced properties parallel to their long axis and in order to gain the full benefit of these properties alignment is desirable. During the spinning process the jet undergoes a shearing force and a narrowing in which the nanoparticulates can be aligned and encapsulated within the fibre as it forms These fibres have the potential to be used in composite materials to aid in various aspects such as mechanical reinforcement. TEM images of the fibres are shown in Fig. 1b and indicate the presence of the nanotubes aligned along the fibres axis
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