Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Substrates Research Articles

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles for use in conductive inks by chemical reduction method

In this study, the chemical reduction method was applied to synthesize silver nanoparticles used to prepare conductive inks. The two variables of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-stabilized mole in the 0.01–0.03 mol range and hydrazine reducing mole in the 0.1–0.5 mol range, along with constants such as precursor mole (silver nitrate), complexing mole (ethylene diamine) and solvent mole (water), were used. Nine random samples proposed by the Design Expert software were examined and studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were then used to characterize and evaluate the synthesized nanoparticles. According to the results obtained by XRD, FE-SEM and TEM analyses, the sample with 0.025 mol and 0.3 mol PVP had the minimum size of silver nanoparticles, which was around 20 nm, so it was chosen as the optimal sample for further research. The conductive ink was also prepared with the optimal sample of silver nanoparticles in 40% by weight and then characterized and evaluated by applying ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis), simultaneous thermal analysis (STA), FE-SEM and electrical conductivity analysis. Finally, conductive ink was applied to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) substrates. The surface electrical resistance of conductive ink on PET and ABS substrates was then measured at about 6.4 Ω and 2.2 Ω, respectively.

Antibacterial evaluation of electroless Ni–P coating with ZnO nanoparticles on 3D printed ABS

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is one of the most widely used polymers in the manufacture of different parts in engineering applications. This polymer is sometimes subjected to metallizing processes that seek to modify the surface properties of the accessories. These processes often require the use of chromium and palladium. Some of the accessories in which ABS is used are subjected during their day-to-day use to environments in which they are prone to colonization of bacteria, generating multiple problems that affect both human health and the useful life of different equipment and devices. Recently, there have been great developments of nanoparticles with antibacterial properties, such as zinc oxides. However, these nanoparticles have not yet been incorporated and evaluated in metal coatings on ABS substrates with a view to conferring such properties on the polymer. This work implements the use of an electroless antibacterial Ni-P coating, modified with zinc oxide nanoparticles through processes free of chromium and palladium, on ABS substrates. The results showed that the addition of zinc oxide nanoparticles in quantities of 0.5 g/L and above in the electroless bath confer antibacterial characteristics on the surface for S. aureus under JIS Z 2801 standard. Through the methodology developed, the future development of 3D printed parts with metallized coating is possible, implementing processes chrome and palladium free, expanding the applications and uses of these.

Preliminary investigations on performance of acetone vapour jet drilling operations on 3d printed abs parts

Since the debut of 3D printing, industries have seen an exponential increase in output and efficiency. 3D printing is an Additive Manufacturing (AM) approach that challenges the traditional method of manufacturing and finishing. The underlying idea of AM is layer–on–layer deposition. In traditional procedures, the materials are subjected to a number of damages as a result of the tool-workpiece contact, which causes friction and heat dissipation. The use of 3D printing to overcome the traditional way of machining is a new innovation in the industries. Non-traditional approaches are further adopted for post processing of 3D printed manufactured parts. In the present study, influence of Acetone Vapour jet drilling process on Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene substrates have been investigated in order to identify range of parameters i.e. pressure of jet, flow rate and distance between workpiece and nozzle, which have significant impact on output responses viz. surface roughness and circularity. After successful experimentation it has been found that pressure 3 to 5 bar,flow rate 13 to 19 ml/min and standoff distance 1.5 to 3.5 mm range are the most impactful range of parameters.

3D-printed hybrid-carbon-based electrodes for electroanalytical sensing applications

In this work we present miniaturized, fully integrated, 3D-printed, hybrid-carbon-based electrodes fabricated using a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printer. This work is significant because it is the first time that a hybrid carbon-nanotube/carbon black/polylactic acid (CNT/CB/PLA) filament material has been employed in the fabrication of an electrochemical sensing system. The integrated 3D-printed hybrid-carbon electrode is composed of two parts: a non-conductive acrylonitrile butadiene styrene substrate and a conductive CNT/CB/PLA three-electrode array (comprising working, counter, and pseudo-reference electrodes). The 3D-printed electrodes were activated in a simple and cost-effective two-step process, a chemical step followed by an electrochemical step, leading to a heterogeneous electron transfer constant of 5.02 × 10-4 cm s−1. As a proof of concept, the 3D-printed electrodes were used to detect dopamine with a limit of detection of 1.45 μM. The simplicity, portability, low cost (0.11 USD per electrode), and rapid fabrication (3.7 min) of these fully integrated, 3D-printed, hybrid-carbon-based electrodes indicate that they can be employed as true point-of-care 3D-printed electrochemical sensing systems. We believe that our work paves the way for the development of new conductive nanocomposite PLA filaments for the fabrication of 3D-printed hybrid electrodes with improved performance.

Investigation on electroless copper metallization on FDM built ABS parts

In this work, metallization of copper on acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) substrate has been fabricated by fused deposition modelling (FDM) using electroless process avoiding chemicals detrimental to environment. Four acidic baths containing five weight percentages of HF, H 2 SO 4 , HNO 3 and H 3 PO 4 varying copper sulphate (CuSO 4 ) at 10, 15 and 20 weight percentage in each bath has been used for metallization. The metallization process in each bath has continued for seventy two hours. Copper coating obtained on the substrate by the use of different baths has been evaluated for electrical resistance, thickness of copper coated layer, percentage of copper present on the coated surface and adhesion performance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) results have indicated that all the baths are quite capable of deposition of copper on ABS substrates. However, HF bath has exhibited superior coating performance as compared to other baths. The thickness of copper coated layer and percentage of copper present in the coated layer has been found to be highest by the use of HF bath with fifteen weight percentage of CuSO 4 .

Optimization of Electroless Nickel Tungsten Composite Coating on 3D-Printed ABS Substrate for Maximum Tungsten Content

Electroless nickel phosphorous tungsten (Ni-P-W) coating is widely used to improve the wear and hardness of steel. Studies on the composite coating of plastics, and in particular, additive manufactured parts are lacking. Many applications are demanding high hardness and high-temperature stability of the 3D-printed parts. The purpose of this work is to study the electroless Ni-P-W composite coating on the digital acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) substrate, 3D printed by polyjet technology. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) are used to study structural morphology, composition, and phase structure of the coating, respectively. Electroless Ni-P-W coating on digital ABS-printed parts was successfully carried and optimized for maximum tungsten content in the coating. Finally the thermal stabilities of developed coating are compared with electroless nickel coating. The study revealed that the low level of pH and sodium tungstate in the bath results in the maximum percentage of tungsten in the coating with higher hardness. SEM and EDX analyses show a smooth crack-free surface with 4.77 wt.% of tungsten in the coating, respectively. XRD studies of the coating show amorphous nature of the coating at low pH with maximum tungsten content while at high pH, the tungsten content reduces, and the coating becomes crystalline. The developed electroless nickel tungsten composite coating with higher thermal stability can enhance the use of 3D-printed ABS parts in many applications like rapid tooling for injection moulding, electric discharge machine (EDM) tooling and electronic industries for electromagnetic shielding.

Detection of high explosives samples deposited on reflective and matte substrates using mid-infrared laser spectroscopy at the grazing angle of incidence assisted by multivariate analysis

Mid-infrared (MIR) laser spectroscopy measurements coupled with multivariate analysis (MVA) routines were applied to detection and classification of high explosives (HEs) deposited on aluminum and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene substrates. An MIR quantum cascade laser (QCL) was optically coupled to a grazing angle probe (QCL-GAP) mount to operate in diffuse reflectance mode at an incidence angle of 82 deg from the surface normal. The experimental conditions enabled reflection–absorption infrared reflectance spectroscopy of the laser light by the surface deposits of HEs and allowed obtaining spectra with high signal-to-noise ratios in a very short time. This optical arrangement permitted collecting data for identifying the vibrational signatures of the HEs to be detectable even at low surface concentrations. The HEs used included pentaerythritol tetranitrate, 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine, and 2,4,6-trinitrophenylmethylnitramine. Using principal components analysis, 100% of the HE samples deposited on the reflective and nonreflective substrate were correctly classified, avoiding false-positive responses in the analyses. The combination of QCL-GAP spectroscopy with MVA presented will also allow obtaining highly confident detections/identification of hazardous materials and other chemical/biological agents residing on both reflective and nonreflective surfaces. The methodology can easily be extended to other types of applications.

Graphene epoxy spray on 3D-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene substrates as O2 gas barrier

Modified graphene oxide was introduced as a gas barrier by using polymer epoxy on 3D-printing acrylonitrile butadiene styrene substrates (ABS) substrates. The applied graphene materials were characterized by infrared, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our gas transmission experiments exhibited excellent barrier properties for O2 for the graphene epoxy-coated 3D-printing substrates. Graphene oxide-incorporated 3D-printed materials were tested for the permeability properties of the ambient gases. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of both the single and the double sheets of graphene nanopores suggest that only the marginal percentages of O2 are predicted to transmit at the graphene layers under ambient conditions. Considering that 3D-printed materials such as ABS are widely used in many areas, a simple method of preparing gas barriers using graphene materials should be useful in technological applications to block ambient gases, as well as to provide a better understanding of the physicochemical characteristics of graphene nanopores.

Simple and low-cost production of hybrid 3D-printed microfluidic devices.

The use of three-dimensional (3D) printing for the fabrication of microfluidic chips has attracted considerable attention among researchers. This low-cost fabrication method allows for rapid prototyping and the creation of complex structures; however, these devices lack optical transparency, which greatly hinders the characterization and quantification of experiment results. To address this problem, integrating a transparent substrate with a 3D-printed chip is an effective approach. In this study, we present a solvent bonding method of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) thermoplastic materials for the creation of optically detectable 3D-printed microfluidic devices. To achieve an excellent bonding between PMMA and ABS substrates, we used spray coating as a method for the distribution of ethanol solution followed by UV exposure and post-annealing step to improve the bonding strength. We fabricated a microfluidic chip with S-microchannel to characterize the bonding protocol, and other two application-oriented microfluidic chips, including a 3D split-and-recombine-based passive micromixer, and an integrated microchip for the mixing of two streams of liquid prior to the formation of double-emulsion droplets, to evaluate the efficacy of the proposed scheme. As a result, at least eight bars of the bonding strength between PMMA/ABS substrates was achieved, and the ability of producing optically detectable 3D-printed microfluidic devices based on this bonding method was confirmed.

Improving surface roughness of the 3D printed part using electroless plating

The effect of electroless metallic coating on 3D printed acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene plastic parts surface has been studied. Owing to its excellent toughness, good-dimensional reliability, good-process capability, chemical resistance and cost-effectiveness, acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene is used for fabrication of parts using a 3D open source printer. These parts are further metallic coated using electroless copper deposition technique. Two different surface preparation processes, namely aluminium paint paste and aluminium epoxy paste have been used for electroless coating. After the surface conditioning of parts using these methods, copper is deposited electrolessly using acidic solution, containing 12.5 wt% copper sulphate with 7.5 wt% of sulphuric acid. Deposition of copper, for two different methods, has been carried out using different temperature conditions and different time of deposition. In the first case, the temperature of the solution is initially kept at 45±2 ℃ and is allowed to come to the room temperature as the deposition is completed. In the second case, the temperature of the solution is maintained at room temperature throughout the process. Further, copper-deposited 3D printed parts were characterized based on their surface roughness measurement, electrical conductivity measurement, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and adhesion evaluation test. It has been found that both the methods used for coating show better electrical performance and more uniform copper deposition. Adhesion between copper layers and 3D printed acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene substrates is found to have good strength for Al-Epoxy-coated parts.

Embedded 6-GHz 3-D Printed Half-Wave Dipole Antenna

In this letter, a three-dimensional packaged half-wave dipole antenna is presented. The design includes a grounded coplanar waveguide (GCPW) balun that is printed on an inclined surface and used to connect the 50-Ω feedline on the lower layer to the dipole on the top layer. For matching purposes, a GCPW quarter-wave transformer is incorporated between the 50-Ω feedline and the balun. The 6-GHz half-wave dipole is approximately λ/4 above the ground plane. Fabrication is done using the direct digital manufacturing technique with an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene substrate (relative permittivity of 2.7 and a loss tangent of 0.008) and Dupont CB028 silver paste. The simulated and measured gains are 4.88 and 4.7 dBi, respectively. Antenna substrate surface roughness is analyzed to explain discrepancies between simulation and measurement results.

Hardness and wear resistance improvement of ABS surface by CrN thin film

This work aims to investigate the effect of sputtering power on the hardness and wear resistance of chromium nitride (CrN) thin films deposited on the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) substrates. These coatings were performed by a reactive DC magnetron sputtering technique. The values of sputtering power were adjusted in the range of 125-200 W. The total pressure (Pt), nitrogen partial pressure (PN2), and sputtering time were kept constant at 4×10-3 mbar, 30%, and 120 min, respectively. The surface roughness of the thin films was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The crystalline structure of these CrN thin films was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The hardness and Young’s modulus of the CrN coated ABS samples were analyzed by a nanoindentation hardness test. Wear resistance tests under ambient air condition at room temperature were carried out by pin-on-disc method. The wear scars of the samples were determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the hardness values were varied from 6.65 to 9.58 GPa. Young’s modulus of the samples was changed from 30.87 to 44.25 GPa. The CrN coating deposited on the ABS substrate at 175 W exhibited the highest hardness of 9.58 GPa which value is as high as that of steel. This indicated its potential and promising applications as hard coating layers for ABS plastic parts.

Environmentally benign electroless nickel plating using supercritical carbon-dioxide on hydrophilically modified acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene

Electroless Ni-P plating using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) in conjunction with copolymer-based hydrophilic modification was applied to an acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) substrate. The surface of ABS substrate was hydrophilically modified by blending with a multi-block copolymer, poly(ether-ester-amide)s (PEEA), in injection molding process. The substrate was then impregnated with Pd(II)-hexafluoroacetylacetonate, Pd(hfa)2, using scCO2, followed by the electroless plating reaction. ABS/PEEA substrates with different PEEA to ABS blend ratios and different volume ratios of butadiene to the styrene–acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) matrix were prepared to investigate how the dispersed PEEA and butadiene domains affected the blend morphology and the adhesive strength of the plating metal-to-polymer contact. Increasing the PEEA copolymer to ABS blend ratio increased the mass transfer rate of the plating solution in the ABS substrate. Consequently, the metal–polymer composite layer became thicker, which increased the adhesive strength of the metal-to-polymer contact because of the anchoring effect. The butadiene domains appeared to attract the Pd catalyst precursor, and thus, the proportion of butadiene in the ABS matrix also affected the adhesive strength of the contact between the metal layer and the substrate. The ABS substrate was successfully plated with a Ni-P metal layer with an average adhesive strength of 9.1 ± 0.5 N cm−1 by choosing appropriate ABS/PEEA blend ratios and a Pd(hfa)2 concentration.

Pd-free surface activation technique for ABS surface metallisation

An environmentally friendly surface etching and Pd free activation technique for acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) surface metallisation was investigated. With surface etching, NiSO4 absorption and NaBH4 reduction, nickel particles were deposited on the ABS surface as a catalyst replacement for palladium catalyst to achieve surface metallisation. After the electroless plating, a uniform copper film was electrodeposited on the ABS surface. The effects of NiSO4 concentration, NaBH4 concentration, reduction temperature and reduction time on the adhesion strength between the ABS surface and the electroless copper film were investigated. The adhesion strengths between electroless copper and ABS substrate reached 0·72 kN m−1, and indicated that this surface activation technique was a feasible and cost effective method for ABS surface metallisation.

ABS Polymer Electroless Plating through a One-Step Poly(acrylic acid) Covalent Grafting

A new, efficient, palladium- and chromium-free process for the electroless plating of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) polymers has been developed. The process is based on the ion-exchange properties of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) chemically grafted onto ABS via a simple and one-step method that prevents using classical surface conditioning. Hence, ABS electroless plating can be obtained in three steps, namely: (i) the grafting of PAA onto ABS, (ii) the copper Cu(0) seeding of the ABS surface, and (iii) the nickel or copper metallization using commercial-like electroless plating bath. IR, XPS, and SEM were used to characterize each step of the process, and the Cu loading was quantified by atomic absorption spectroscopy. This process successfully compares with the commercial one based on chromic acid etching and palladium-based seed layer, because the final metallic layer showed excellent adhesion with the ABS substrate.

A two‐station embossing process for rapid fabrication of surface microstructures on thermoplastic polymers

AbstractAn embossing strategy involving a hot station and a cold station for sequentially heating and cooling the embossing tool was investigated to reduce cycle times in hot embossing polymer microstructures. Experimental studies showed that aluminum stamps with a thickness of 1.4 mm can be rapidly heated from room temperature to 200°C in 3 s using contact heating against a hot station at 250°C. Microchannels and microlenses were successfully embossed onto high‐density polyethylene and acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene substrates using a heating time less than 3 s and a total cycle time around 10 s. The two‐station embossing process for the microlens was also numerically studied. The simulated filling behavior agreed with the experimental observation and the predicted thermal and deformation history of the polymer offered a good explanation on the experimentally observed process characteristics. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:530–539, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers.

A study on the low temperature coating process by inductively coupled plasma assisted DC magnetron sputtering

Titanium nitride (TiN x ) was deposited on a plastic Acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene substrate by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sputtering. Many PVD coating processes, currently used in industry, are quite inefficient as there is a need for an extensive cooling time. However, the ICP technique is a high-density plasma technique, which allows deposition on substrates like plastics at low temperatures. Through the plasma diagnosis, the plasma density of the ICP sputtering system was superior to that of the other commercial PVD processes.

An Electrochemical Pretreatment and Catalysation Process for Acrylonitrile-Butadiene- Styrene Utilising Silver(II) Chemistry

SUMMARYThe formation of silver(II) ions in nitric acid was studied using a rotating disc electrode at temperatures of 25°C and 50°C and a preparative H-type divided cell was used to generate dark brown silver(II) solutions at 50 mA cm−2, 50°C. When acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) samples were etched in this highly oxidising medium, residual silver(I) species trapped within the polymer cavities were reduced to metallic silver with a reducing agent and, upon exposure to an electroless copper solution, deposition was observed. An FM-01LC Laboratory Electrolyser was used to scale-up the process and peel strengths between the ABS substrate and metallic coating were measured. Adhesion equivalent to a chromic acid pretreatment was achieved. Hence a novel process based upon the aqueous electrochemistry of silver(II) has been developed for etching, catalysing and subsequently metallising ABS.