Insights into the acoustic field-assisted inkjet printing of graphene-reinforced polydimethylsiloxane composites

Abstract

The silicon-based organic polymer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been widely used in biomedical, optical, and mechanical industries due to its outstanding biocompatibility, and great optical and mechanical properties. To improve the mechanical properties of PDMS, attention has been attracted to adding reinforcement materials to strengthen PDMS composites. Among all types of reinforcement materials, graphene (Gr) is ideal in that it demonstrates extremely high strength and rigidity. In addition, adding a small amount of Gr can significantly alter the mechanical properties of PDMS. Despite these benefits, voids and Gr-induced gaps commonly exist in Gr-reinforced composites. To reduce these problems, acoustic field (AF)-assisted inkjet printing has been proposed. Results show that the integration of the AF is beneficial for reducing voids and removing gaps between Gr flakes and the PDMS matrix. Due to these reasons, tensile properties and dynamic mechanical properties of Gr-reinforced PDMS composite are dramatically improved when the AF is integrated. In addition, AF can also improve the surface finish of inkjet-printed parts.