Evaluation of the Compatibility of Organosolv Lignin-Graphene Nanoplatelets with Photo-Curable Polyurethane in Stereolithography 3D Printing.

Fathirrahman Ibrahim,Hatika Kaco,Denesh Mohan,Saiful Bahari Bakarudin,Mohd Shaiful Sajab

doi:10.3390/polym11101544

Fathirrahman Ibrahim, Hatika Kaco + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11101544

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Abstract

In this study, lignin has been extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers via an organosolv process. The organosolv lignin obtained was defined by the presence of hydroxyl-containing molecules, such as guaiacyl and syringyl, and by the presence of phenolic molecules in lignin. Subsequently, the extracted organosolv lignin and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) were utilized as filler and reinforcement in photo-curable polyurethane (PU), which is used in stereolithography 3D printing. The compatibility as well as the characteristic and structural changes of the composite were identified through the mechanical properties of the 3D-printed composites. Furthermore, the tensile strength of the composited lignin and graphene shows significant improvement as high as 27%. The hardness of the photo-curable PU composites measured by nanoindentation exhibited an enormous improvement for 0.6% of lignin-graphene at 92.49 MPa with 238% increment when compared with unmodified PU.

Highlights

Apart from being fast and precise, 3D printing enables a product to be modified and customized
Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers were procured from Szetech Engineering Sdn
The initial lignin content for the untreated oil palm EFB fibers was recorded at 21.7 wt%

Summary

Introduction

Apart from being fast and precise, 3D printing enables a product to be modified and customized. This technology is suitable for applications in a field with profound individual differences, such as biomedicine [1,2]. The thermoset nature of stereolithography fabricated parts, with a high crosslink density, results in brittle fracture with low elongation properties [4]. One solution is to develop a polymer with good biodegradability via a composite approach. Composites can produce new materials with improved performance and biodegradability when a natural material is used as a filler [6]

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