Effect of Nano-Alumina (Al2O3) Loading on the Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Poly(Lactic Acid) for Fused Deposition Modeling 3D Printing Applications

Abstract

This research focused on the development of filament composite materials for fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing applications. The main objective of this study was to fabricate and characterize poly (lactic acid) (PLA) filaments with varying amounts of alumina (Al2O3) nanopowder (0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 wt.%). The resulting PLA/Al2O3 filament blends were produced using hot-melt extrusion. The filament blends were subjected to different characterization techniques and mechanical testing. The results indicate that the thermal stability of the filaments increased with increasing filler content. Furthermore, PLA with 5.0 wt.% nanoAl2O3 exhibited 55.84%, 66.14%, and 45.84% improvement in tensile strength, elastic modulus, and toughness, respectively.