Investigating the Properties and Characterization of a Hybrid 3D Printed Antimicrobial Composite Material Using FFF Process: Innovative and Swift

Abstract

Novel strategies and materials have gained the attention of researchers due to the current pandemic, the global market high competition, and the resistance of pathogens against conventional materials. There is a dire need to develop cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and biodegradable materials to fight against bacteria using novel approaches and composites. Fused filament fabrication (FFF), also known as fused deposition modeling (FDM), is the most effective and novel fabrication method to develop these composites due to its various advantages. Compared to metallic particles alone, composites of different metallic particles have shown excellent antimicrobial properties against common Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This study investigates the antimicrobial properties of two sets of hybrid composite materials, i.e., Cu-PLA-SS and Cu-PLA-Al, are made using copper-enriched polylactide composite, one-time printed side by-side with stainless steel/PLA composite, and second-time with aluminum/PLA composite respectively. These materials have 90 wt.% of copper, 85 wt.% of SS 17-4, 65 wt.% of Al with a density of 4.7 g/cc, 3.0 g/cc, and 1.54 g/cc, respectively, and were fabricated side by side using the fused filament fabrication (FFF) printing technique. The prepared materials were tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Salmonella Poona (S. Poona), and Enterococci during different time intervals (5 min, 10 min, 20 min, 1 h, 8 h, and 24 h). The results revealed that both samples showed excellent antimicrobial efficiency, and 99% reduction was observed after 10 min. Hence, three-dimensional (3D) printed polymeric composites enriched with metallic particles can be utilized for biomedical, food packaging, and tissue engineering applications. These composite materials can also provide sustainable solutions in public places and hospitals where the chances of touching surfaces are higher.

Advanced Packaging Techniques—A Mini-Review of 3D Printing Potential

“…The printing process included maintaining the nozzle temperature at 210 °C, where constant fan air was required to set the compound. The compound was applied at a speed of 45 mm/s, where walls were applied with a height of 0.2 mm until they reached 1 mm [ 35 ]. The composites produced showed even better activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.…”

Employing Metal-Enriched Polymeric Composites: An Innovative Approach for Combatting Microbes and Bacteria in Building Components in Public Places

“…The ratio of the components of the mixture was selected to compare with the results of the composites the authors obtained with the same composites prepared from 3D printing, in which the authors obtained excellent antimicrobial properties from a patented formula [44,45]. The aim of the paper was to make the composites more budget-friendly and make the large-scale production of these composites more practical, ensuring they are ready to use and accessible, through the application of injection molding.…”

“…The authors obtained excellent antimicrobial efficacy from the composite by mixing copper and aluminum as well as copper and stainless steel [43]. The above is patented research conducted with 3D printing [44,45]. Here, we use injection molding to compare the results with 3D printing to study the effect of aluminum and stainless steel in conjunction with copper to make it more budget-friendly and to make the large-scale production of the composites practical and usable in daily life.…”

Characteristics and Key Features of Antimicrobial Materials and Associated Mechanisms for Diverse Applications

“…Both SWCNTs and MWCNTs strongly inhibit various microbes, even after brief exposure. Therefore, CNTs are effective antimicrobial agents, which can be used for biomedicine applications [106][107][108]. The microbicidal effect of SWCNTs is better than that of MWC-NTs.…”