How Do 3D Printing Parameters Affect the Dielectric and Mechanical Performance of Polylactic Acid–Cellulose Acetate Polymer Blends?

Abstract

Three-dimensional printing is a prototyping technique that is widely used in various fields, such as the electrical sector, to produce specific dielectric objects. Our study explores the mechanical and dielectric behavior of polylactic acid (PLA) and plasticized cellulose acetate (CA) blends manufactured via Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). A preliminary optimization of 3D printing parameters showed that a print speed of 30 mm·s−1 and a print temperature of 215 °C provided the best compromise between print quality and processing time. The dielectric properties were very sensitive to the three main parameters (CA content WCA, infill ratio, and layer thickness). A Taguchi L9 3^3 experimental design revealed that the infill ratio and WCA were the main parameters influencing dielectric properties. Increasing the infill ratio and WCA increased the dielectric constant ε′ and electrical conductivity σAC. It would, therefore, be possible to promote the integration of CA in the dielectric domain through 3D printing while counterbalancing its greater polarity by reducing the infill ratio. The dielectric findings are promising for an electrical insulation application. Furthermore, the mechanical findings obtained through dynamic mechanical analysis are discussed.

Playing with Low Amounts of Expanded Graphite for Melt-Processed Polyamide and Copolyester Nanocomposites to Achieve Control of Mechanical, Tribological, Thermal and Dielectric Properties

“…Goyal et al [34] stated that the interfacial dipoles do not have enough time to orient themselves at higher frequencies, which explains the large differences in dielectric constant between previously reported values for low frequencies and the values achieved in the current research. The decrease in dielectric constant with increasing frequency was also noted by Lecoublet et al [50], and was allocated to the limitation of dipole mobility as the frequency increased. In Figure 5b, the dissipated power is presented as a function of the filler content amount.…”

“…All measurements were performed at a heating rate (β) of 10 • C•min −1 under a nitrogen atmosphere with a flow rate of 50 mL•min −1 for TGA and 40 mL•min −1 for DSC. The temperature interval used for TGA measurements was [50,600] • C, while a temperature interval of [50,240] • C was used for DSC measurements.…”

Investigation of Thermomechanical and Dielectric Properties of PLA-CA 3D-Printed Biobased Materials

“…In addition, previous research carried out on PLA/plasticized CA showed that there was an interaction between the carbonyl groups of PLA and the hydroxyl groups of CA, greatly increasing the complex viscosity of the blends. In view of the applications of such blends in the dielectric field, Henning et al proposed a PLA/CA blend filled with zinc pyrophosphate (ZnPP) as a biobased alternative to conventional printed circuit board (PCB) [7]. PLA/CA and PLA/CA blended with a ZnPP weight content (W ZnPP ) of 5% presented comparable dielectric properties to FR4 and FR2 glass/epoxy laminates, except for a significative lower dielectric constant and higher surface resistivity.…”