Ahmad Khalid Haj, Mohamad Zurina, Khan Zahid Iqbal, Habib Muddasar
College of Engineering, Alfaisal University, P.O. Box 50927, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia.
Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310 UTM, Johor, Malaysia.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 Jan 1;17(1):97. doi: 10.3390/polym17010097.
This study examines the influence of nanofillers on the ultraviolet (UV) penetration depth of photopolymer resins used in stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, and their impact on printability. Three nanofillers, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), graphene nanoplatelets (xGNP), and boron nitride nanoparticles (BNNP), were incorporated into a commercially available photopolymer resin to prepare nanocomposite formulations. The UV penetration depth (Dp) was assessed using the Windowpane method, revealing a significant reduction with the addition of nanofillers. At a concentration of 0.25 wt.%, MWCNT showed the highest reduction in Dp (90%), followed by xGNP (65%) and BNNP (33%). SLA 3D printing was performed at varying nanofiller concentrations to evaluate printability. The findings highlight a strong correlation between Dp and the maximum printable nanofiller concentration, with MWCNT limiting printability to 0.05 wt.% due to its low Dp, while BNNP allowed printing up to 1.5 wt.%. Mechanical testing showed substantial improvements in hardness and elastic modulus, even at low nanofiller concentrations, with BNNP outperforming other fillers. Compared to a clear photopolymer, the elastic modulus for 3D printed nanocomposite samples with 0.05 wt.% nanofiller compositions showed an improvement of 43% for MWCNT, 63% for xGNP, and 104% for BNNP. The hardness results showed an improvement of 86% for MWCNT, 103% for xGNP, and 179% for BNNP. These results underscore the importance of Dp in determining the layer thickness and print success in SLA 3D printing. Practical applications include the design of advanced photopolymer nanocomposites for biomedical devices, electronics, and lightweight structural components. This research provides valuable insights for tailoring material properties to meet the demands of high-performance additive manufacturing.
本研究考察了纳米填料对用于立体光刻（SLA）3D打印的光聚合树脂紫外线（UV）穿透深度的影响及其对可打印性的影响。将三种纳米填料，即多壁碳纳米管（MWCNT）、石墨烯纳米片（xGNP）和氮化硼纳米颗粒（BNNP），添加到市售光聚合树脂中，制备纳米复合配方。采用窗玻璃法评估UV穿透深度（Dp），结果表明添加纳米填料后Dp显著降低。在0.25 wt.%的浓度下，MWCNT使Dp降低最多（90%），其次是xGNP（65%）和BNNP（33%）。在不同的纳米填料浓度下进行SLA 3D打印以评估可打印性。研究结果突出了Dp与最大可打印纳米填料浓度之间的强相关性，由于其Dp较低，MWCNT将可打印性限制在0.05 wt.%，而BNNP允许高达1.5 wt.%的打印量。力学测试表明，即使在低纳米填料浓度下，硬度和弹性模量也有显著提高，BNNP的性能优于其他填料。与透明光聚合物相比，含0.05 wt.%纳米填料组合物的3D打印纳米复合样品的弹性模量，MWCNT提高了43%，xGNP提高了63%，BNNP提高了104%。硬度结果显示，MWCNT提高了86%，xGNP提高了103%，BNNP提高了179%。这些结果强调了Dp在确定SLA 3D打印中层厚和打印成功率方面的重要性。实际应用包括用于生物医学设备、电子产品和轻质结构部件的先进光聚合纳米复合材料的设计。本研究为定制材料性能以满足高性能增材制造的需求提供了有价值的见解。
