Optimizing the Rheological and Thermomechanical Response of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene/Silicon Nitride Nanocomposites in Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing

Abstract

The current research aimed to examine the thermomechanical properties of new nanocomposites in additive manufacturing (AM). Material extrusion (MEX) 3D printing was utilized to evolve acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) nanocomposites with silicon nitride nano-inclusions. Regarding the mechanical and thermal response, the fabricated 3D-printed samples were subjected to a course of standard tests, in view to evaluate the influence of the Si3N4 nanofiller content in the polymer matrix. The morphology and fractography of the fabricated filaments and samples were examined using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Moreover, Raman and energy dispersive spectroscopy tests were accomplished to evaluate the composition of the matrix polymer and nanomaterials. Silicon nitride nanoparticles were proved to induce a significant mechanical reinforcement in comparison with the polymer matrix without any additives or fillers. The optimal mechanical response was depicted to the grade ABS/Si3N4 4 wt. %. An impressive increase in flexural strength (30.3%) and flexural toughness (47.2%) was found. The results validate that these novel ABS nanocomposites with improved mechanical properties can be promising materials.

Effects of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet on 3D-Printed Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)

“…Thus, after exposure to He-plasma, an increase of 13.5% was observed, while the exposure to Ar-plasma resulted in an increase of 21.6% compared to the untreated samples. Similar trends were obtained in the literature under similar conditions for both impact testing [77,81,[84][85][86] and tensile tests [77,81,84,[87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94].…”

Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics: A Review on Filament-Based Process

“…The same authors [ 57 ] extended research to explore the feasibility of developing composites using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) combined with Si 3 N 4 nanoparticles. Results demonstrated a notable enhancement in the mechanical properties of the composite material due to the addition of Si 3 N 4 nanoparticles at a weight concentration of 4.0 wt.%.…”

Investigation of the Effectiveness of Silicon Nitride as a Reinforcement Agent for Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol in Material Extrusion 3D Printing

“…In addition to its excellent mechanical properties as a ceramic material, Si 3 N 4 is considered a bioceramic that can be useful for medical or healthcare applications. It is a subject of interest in the field of biomedicine because of its biocompatibility and superior chemical, physical, and mechanical properties, which are necessary for applications such as implants [ 55 , 56 ] and scaffolds [ 57 , 58 ]. Si 3 N 4 ceramics are also characterized by their bacteriostatic properties, which can be useful in a variety of biomedical applications [ 45 , 46 ].…”