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Processing and properties of electrically conductive nanocomposites based on polyamide-12 filled with exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets prepared by selective laser sintering

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Abstract

Electrically conductive polymer nanocomposites were prepared through selective laser sintering (SLS) of polyamide-12 (PA) powder coated with graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) using sonication. The SLS process parameters were optimized in order to maximize the tensile modulus at 3 and 5 wt% GNP. The highest tensile modulus (2.1 GPa) was achieved at 3 wt%. A slight decrease in flexural modulus and strength was observed at 3 and 5 wt% GNP compared with the neat polymer. Morphological observation of the graphitecoated PA powder showed fairly homogeneous dispersion. The SLS processed parts were nearly fully dense and the highest density (99.5%) was found at 3 wt% GNP. The bulk electrical conductivity of the SLS-processed nanocomposites was found to be 3.8×10−11 and 6.4×10−8 S/cm for 3 and 5 wt% GNP respectively.

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Abbreviations

GNP:

Graphite Nanoplatelets

PA:

Polyamide

PNC:

Polymer Nanocomposite

SLS:

Selective Laser Sintering

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0405, USA

    Shaun Eshraghi, Mehdi Karevan, Kyriaki Kalaitzidou & Suman Das

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0245, USA

    Kyriaki Kalaitzidou & Suman Das

Authors
  1. Shaun Eshraghi
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  2. Mehdi Karevan
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  3. Kyriaki Kalaitzidou
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  4. Suman Das
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Correspondence to Suman Das.

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Eshraghi, S., Karevan, M., Kalaitzidou, K. et al. Processing and properties of electrically conductive nanocomposites based on polyamide-12 filled with exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets prepared by selective laser sintering. Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf. 14, 1947–1951 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-013-0264-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-013-0264-y

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