Polymer/Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) Nanocomposites Processing Using Additive Manufacturing (Three-Dimensional Printing) Technique: An Overview

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM)/3D printing (3DP) is a revolutionary technology which has been around for more than two decades, although the potential of this technique was not fully explored until recently. Because of the expansion of this technology in recent years, new materials and additives are being searched for to meet the growing demand. 3DP allows accurate fabrication of complicated models, however, structural anisotropy caused by the 3DP approaches could limit robust application. A possible solution to the inferior properties of the 3DP based materials compared to that of conventionally manufactured counterparts could be the incorporation of nanoparticles, such as carbon nanotubes (CNT) which have demonstrated remarkable mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. In this article we review some of the research, products, and challenges involved in 3DP technology. The importance of CNT dispersion in the matrix polymer is highlighted and the future outlook for the 3D printed polymer/CNT nanocomposites is presented.

Keywords

• additive manufacturing
• 3D printing
• polymer
• carbon nanotubes (CNT)
• CNT dispersion
• nanocomposites
• tensile properties
• electrical properties
• thermal conductivity