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. 2024 Apr 18;16(8):1140.
doi: 10.3390/polym16081140.

FDM 3D Printing and Properties of PBAT/PLA Blends

Wangwang Yu  1   2 , Mengya Li  3 , Wen Lei  3 , Yong Chen  3
Affiliations

FDM 3D Printing and Properties of PBAT/PLA Blends

Wangwang Yu et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) has been widely used in fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing. In order to improve its comprehensive properties in 3D printing, in this study, 0-40% content of polybutylene adipate terephthalate(PBAT) was selected to be blended with PLA in a twin-screw extruder; the resulting pellets were drawn into a homogeneous filament; then, PBAT/PLA samples were prepared by FDM 3D printing, and the effects of the dosage of PBAT on the mechanical properties, thermal behavior, surface wettability and melt flowability of the samples were investigated. The results showed that all the samples could be printed smoothly, and the ductility was slightly improved by the increase in the PBAT dosage; the thermal stability of PLA was enhanced by blending with PBAT, and the crystallinity increased monotonically with the increase in PBAT. After blending with PBAT, the surfaces of the samples were more hydrophilic and flowable. The important conclusion achieved in this work was that the PBAT/PLA blends, especially those containing 30%PBAT, showed great potential to replace petroleum-based plastics and are suitable for use in FDM 3D printing technologies for different applications.

Keywords: 3D printing; blend; fused deposition molding; poly(lactic acid); polybutylene adipate terephthalate; property.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Tensile and flexural test specimens: (a) PLA; (b) 10% PBAT/PLA; (c) 20% PBAT/PLA; (d) 30% PBAT/PLA; (e) 40% PBAT/PLA.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mechanical properties of PBAT/PLA with different contents of PBAT: (a) tensile properties; (b) elongation at break; (c) flexural properties; (d) stress–strain curve.
Figure 3
Figure 3
SEM Images of neat PLA and various PBAT/PLA blends with a magnification of 2000 times: (a) PLA; (b) 10% PBAT/PLA; (c) 20% PBAT/PLA; (d) 30%PBAT/PLA; (e) 40% PBAT/PLA.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Pyrolysis process of different samples: (a) mass loss curve; (b) differential thermogravimetric curve.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Calculated and experimental curves of 30% PBAT/PLA: (a) mass loss curve; (b) differential thermogravimetric curve.
Figure 6
Figure 6
DSC thermograms of printed samples with different contents of PBAT: (a) first heating; (b) cooling; (c) second heating.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Contact angle images of distilled water on the surfaces of printed samples: (a) PLA; (b) 10% PBAT/PLA; (c) 20% PBAT/PLA; (d) 30%PBAT/PLA; (e) 40% PBAT/PLA.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Melt flow index curves of different samples.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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