Additive technologies for creating thermal conductive polymer composites
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33216/1998-7927-2025-290-4-48-56Keywords:
polylactide, polymer composite materials, thermal conductive composites, additive technologies, graphite, copperAbstract
The work investigated the influence of the composition of a polymer composite and its additive manufacturing parameters on the value of its thermal conductivity. As a polymer matrix for the research, a typical additive manufacturing, environmentally friendly and affordable polymer material - polylactide was used. Thermally conductive fillers of different nature - powdered copper and graphite, in different mass ratios, were introduced into the composite to increase thermal conductivity and provide the ability to control the thermal characteristics of the material. Composite materials were created by mixing the components in the melt on a twin-screw extruder. Additive manufacturing of experimental samples was carried out using the filament deposition molding technology. The material for additive manufacturing in the form of a filament was obtained from the composite material by extrusion. The samples were printed with the orientation of the layers parallel and perpendicular to the direction of the heat flow, which made it possible to assess the influence of the spatial arrangement of the material jets on the anisotropy of thermal conductivity.
Composite materials based on polylactide, obtained by the classical injection molding method and the additive manufacturing method, showed similar thermal conductivity values. The use of copper and graphite fillers allowed them to significantly increase the thermal conductivity of the material—by more than two times. The orientation of the layers and the location of the material jets relative to the direction of the heat flow have a significant impact on its thermal conductivity. It was found that the graphite filler is more effective compared to the copper one, since it provides a more significant increase in thermal conductivity even at a lower mass content. In addition, the effect of the orientation of the layers and the filler is more pronounced for graphite fillers. This approach may allow the development of lightweight, heat-dissipating polymer elements of housing for electronics, which have both functional and structural significance. The anisotropy of thermal conductivity, controlled by printing parameters, opens new opportunities for engineering design of complex products with optimized thermophysical characteristics.
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