Physical Properties of 3D Printed Polylactic Acid

and Carbon Nanotube Composites

Kristina BennettNortheastern University; Chemical Engineering
Anson Ma, Huseini PatanwalaInstitute of Materials Science
2016 Nanotechnology REUUniversity of Connecticut

Introduction

1. Determine the porosity and linear thermal expansion coefficient (LTE) of

polylactic acid-carbon nanotube (PLA-CNT) composites 3D printed in the
0 orientation with different concentrations of CNTs.
2. Use the LTE data for modeling of the extrusion process during FDM 3D
printing.
Figure 1: Representation of 3D printing

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a polymer often used in FDM.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a material used to reinforce polymers
because of their low density and mechanical and electrical properties.
Density: 2.6 g/cm3
Youngs modulus: 1 TPa
Tensile strength: 11 63 GPa
Conductivity: 106 107 S/m
Seetharamappa, Jaldappagari et al., The Electrochemical Society Interface, 2006.
Choi, Jia and Zhang, Yong, Aldrich Materials Science.
3D Printing Industry, The Free Beginners Guide, 2016.
PrintSpace 3D, The Main 3 Additive Manufacturing Methods, 2016.

Previous Results
X-Ray Diffraction

Approach

0.2

Determine porosity using ImageJ software

Determine LTE using thermomechanical analyzer (TMA)

=
0

0.05

0
3.62

0 wt% CNT

2000

0
40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

2 (degree)

100

150

200

250

300

350

3.83 mm3/s

400

Intensity (AU)

Azimuthal Angle (degree)

Volumetric Flow Rate vs. Young's Modulus for

3D Printed PLA-CNT Samples
Young's Modulus (MPa)

3100
3050

This graph shows the effect of

the volumetric flow rate on the
Youngs modulus for PLA-CNT
samples with 0.5 weight percent
CNT.

3000
2950
2900
2850

4.12

mm3/s

4.28 mm3/s

2800
3

3.5

Volumetric Flow Rate (mm3/s)

4.5

4.28

This table shows the linear

thermal expansion
coefficients of PLA-CNT
samples with increasing
concentrations of CNTs.

Samples with no CNTs are more porous than samples containing

CNTs.
Samples printed at 4.28 mm/s have a lower porosity have a lower
Youngs modulus than those printed at 4.12 mm3/s. We hypothesize
that this is due to higher local stress concentrations in the samples
printed at 4.28 mm/s.
For a given volumetric flow rate, materials with a higher LTE are
more porous.

Future Work

This graph shows the intensity

of the x-rays diffracted by the
PLA-CNT sample with 0.5
weight percent CNT.
50

2.5 wt% CNT

3.62 mm3/s

4900
4800
4700
4600
4500
4400
4300
0

0.5 wt% CNT

100.0

X-Ray Diffraction

4.12

Discussion

4000

30.0

3.83

Linear Thermal Expansion

67.35 55.10 54.62
Coefficient (m/m*C)
Standard Deviation (m/m*C) 4.60 4.32 7.81

Results
20.0

2.50%

CNT Concentration
0% 0.50% 2.50%

6000

10.0

0.50%

0.15

Volumetric Flow Rate (mm3/s)

8000

0.0

This graph depicts the

porosity of 3D printed
samples with varying
weight percentages of
carbon nanotubes as the
volumetric flow rate with
which they were printed
increases.

0%

0 orientation PLA-CNT samples printed using fused deposition

modeling (FDM) 3D printing technique
Examine the pores in the YZ plane with SEM images

Edited by: Fran Cverna, ASM Ready Reference: Thermal properties of metals ASM Ready Reference Series Materials data series, 2002.

10000

Porosity of PLA-CNT Samples Printed with Increasing

Volumetric Flow Rate

0.1

where =LTE, l0=original length of sample, l= change in length and T= change in temperature

12000

0.25

Porosity

3D printing is an additive manufacturing process.

It allows for customized material production in
three dimensions.
Materials can be printed in multiple orientations,
including 0 and 90, shown respectively.

Count

Results (contd)

Objectives

Analyze local stress concentration using digital image correlation.

Process modeling flow behavior through the heated nozzle.
Characterize the electrical properties of 3D printed polymer
composites.

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr. Anson Ma for welcoming me into the Complex
Fluids Laboratory to participate in a research experience funded by the
National Science Foundation. I would also like to thank Huseini Patanwala
for taking the time to guide me through this project.