Additive Manufacturing of Polysulfone and Polyaniline Composites by Solvent-cast 3d Printing
Open Access
- Author:
- Miao, Ziyi
- Area of Honors:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Michael Anthony Hickner, Thesis Supervisor
Joan Marie Redwing, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- 3D printing
Additive Manufacturing
Polymer
Material Science
Polysulfone
Polyaniline
Solvent-Casting - Abstract:
- 3D printing or additive manufacturing is a technique used to synthesize a shape by adding layers of material on top of each other in a sequential manner. This process is most popularly accomplished with thermoplastics, which can be melted and extruded. The melting of a thin bead of polymer is commonly called fused deposition. There are some limitations to fused deposition however, such as high melting point of the desired material and thus the high temperatures needed during extrusion, or thermal degradation of the material during high temperature processing. In this case, melt processing is not the best choice, requiring a lot more energy or changing the properties of the polymer all together. One way around this problem is to use solvents instead of heat to turn the polymer into a liquid or ink, and extrude this ink in layers to create a 3D object. This way, no heating is applied, and after the solvent evaporates, the object hardens. Udel Polysulfone (PSU) is a thermoplastic that is tough and stable, but has a high glass transition temperature of 185-190 °C, and even higher processing temperature. Using the solvent-cast 3D printing technique, this polymer was 3D printed at room temperature. Polyaniline (PANI) is an intrinsically conductive polymer that has different oxidation states depending on the pH, but thermally degrades before melting. This polymer was also 3D printed as a composite material with polysulfone.