Cellulose Nanocrystal-Bonded Carbon Nanotubes/Polymer Filaments: Creating Ultra-Strong 3D Printed Parts With Multifunctionality

Abstract

The manufacturing of polymer filaments with carbon nanotubes and cellulose nanocrystals is used to create 3D printed parts with improved delamination strength along with added thermal and electrical conductivity. The addition of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) allows for the dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNT), which allows for the material to enhance the properties of the ABS filaments and resulting 3D printed objects. The manufacturing method to produce the filaments includes the dissolution of ABS in acetone, adding CNC-boned CNT, molding of the resulting nanocomposite, and extrusion of filaments for 3D printing. The filament will be used to print samples for tensile testing, 3-point bend testing, TGA, SEM, and DMA tests.