Electrospinning on 3D Printed Polymers for Mechanically Stabilized Filter Composites

Abstract

Electrospinning is a frequently used method to prepare air and water filters. Electrospun nanofiber mats can have very small pores, allowing for filtering of even the smallest particles or molecules. In addition, their high surface-to-volume ratio allows for the integration of materials which may additionally treat the filtered material through photo-degradation, possess antimicrobial properties, etc., thus enhancing their applicability. However, the fine nanofiber mats are prone to mechanical damage. Possible solutions include reinforcement by embedding them in composites or gluing them onto layers that are more mechanically stable. In a previous study, we showed that it is generally possible to stabilize electrospun nanofiber mats by 3D printing rigid polymer layers onto them. Since this procedure is not technically easy and needs some experience to avoid delamination as well as damaging the nanofiber mat by the hot nozzle, here we report on the reversed technique (i.e., first 3D printing a rigid scaffold and subsequently electrospinning the nanofiber mat on top of it). We show that, although the adhesion between both materials is insufficient in the case of a common rigid printing polymer, nanofiber mats show strong adhesion to 3D printed scaffolds from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). This paves the way to a second approach of combining 3D printing and electrospinning in order to prepare mechanically stable filters with a nanofibrous surface.

Morphology and Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Wood Fiber/Polylactic Acid Composite Parts Using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM): The Effects of Printing Speed

“…In the FDM printing process, a control model supports the working principle of the entire system, which combines various parameters, namely structural, processing, and extruder-related parameters [ 20 ]. Previous studies have reported that process parameters significantly affect the quality and mechanical properties of FDM-printed parts, such as the printing orientation, layer thickness, feed rate, infill density and pattern, printing speed, and extrusion temperature [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Several studies [ 8 , 9 , 22 ] have shown that the printing orientation significantly changes the structures of printed parts, resulting in a variation of their mechanical properties.…”

Enhancement of Gas Barrier Properties of Graphene Oxide/Poly (Lactic Acid) Films Using a Solvent-free Method

“…At present, researchers are interested in the application of PLA and its composite materials in the field of 3D printing. Kozior et al prepared electrospinning PAN nanofiber mats on 3D printed scaffolds of rigid PLA, which have application potential in filtration [ 5 ]. Liu et al studied 3D printing scaffolds for bone tissue repairing consisting of poly (L-lactide) (PLLA) matrix [ 6 ].…”

Waviness of Freeform Surface Characterizations from Austenitic Stainless Steel (316L) Manufactured by 3D Printing-Selective Laser Melting (SLM) Technology

“…To a large extent it is related to the possibility of using three-dimensional models obtained directly from X-rays and computed tomography. At the same time, there are scientific papers being published in which the creation of hybrid solutions is discussed, i.e., printing model based on existing objects, which is widely used in the textile industry [ 6 ], heavy industry [ 7 ] and filtering application [ 8 , 9 ]. Additive manufacturing itself has become a fully valuable field of science, in which new materials, technological parameters, dimensional and shape accuracy of manufactured objects are still being studied, in particular including the technological surface layer.…”