THERMO-ELECTRICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SMART BIO COMPOSITE MATERIAL (PLA-G-CF)

Biodegradable and Bio-compactable characteristics of Polylactic Acid (PLA) attracted the attention for numerous biomedical applications. Numerous tissue engineering problems, restoration of weakened or damaged tissues have been reported by using PLA and its copolymers due to their biocompatibility and distinctive mechanical and electronic properties. Similarly, biomedical application of Graphene and Carbon fiber can be exposed with significant potential. Therefore, use of graphene and carbon fiber blend to PLA can positively impact, accelerate and can provide very high influence in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and other biomedical sectors. In this research study, a screw extruder is used to synthesis PLA-G-CF polymer composite filaments of various nano and micro particles with different particle morphology as reinforcement to PLA matrices. Polylactic Acid (PLA) has been used as matrix material and Graphene and Carbon fiber particles used as reinforcement. These polymer composite filaments are then used for Additive Manufacturing to fabricate medical components. The aim of this work was to investigate a potential method of preparing and processing biodegradable Polylactic Acid (PLA), Graphene and Carbon fiber (CF) through 3D Printing (FDM) Technology. In this research, the capability to use materials with conductive properties are also investigated which may lead to a new generation of 3D smart material. Synthesized composite filaments were characterized through Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Tensile Test and Fatigue Test. Among the various blend proportions considered in this work, 80/20% PLA-G-CF blend exhibited the highest elongation and impact strength. Diffe-rential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) showed the influence of Graphene and Carbon fiber content on glass transition temperature (Tg), melting temperature and degree of crystalline of PLA-G-CF blends. Based on their characterization properties, PLA-G-CF Composite material can focus on various biomedical applications such as scaffolds, implants, drug delivery, cancer therapy, biological imaging etc.