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Pemas S, Xanthopoulou E, Terzopoulou Z, Konstantopoulos G, Bikiaris DN, Kottaridi C, Tzovaras D, Pechlivani EM. Exploration of Methodologies for Developing Antimicrobial Fused Filament Fabrication Parts. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:6937. [PMID: 37959534 PMCID: PMC10649695 DOI: 10.3390/ma16216937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Composite 3D printing filaments integrating antimicrobial nanoparticles offer inherent microbial resistance, mitigating contamination and infections. Developing antimicrobial 3D-printed plastics is crucial for tailoring medical solutions, such as implants, and cutting costs when compared with metal options. Furthermore, hospital sustainability can be enhanced via on-demand 3D printing of medical tools. A PLA-based filament incorporating 5% TiO2 nanoparticles and 2% Joncryl as a chain extender was formulated to offer antimicrobial properties. Comparative analysis encompassed PLA 2% Joncryl filament and a TiO2 coating for 3D-printed specimens, evaluating mechanical and thermal properties, as well as wettability and antimicrobial characteristics. The antibacterial capability of the filaments was explored after 3D printing against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, ATCC 25923), as well as Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli, ATCC 25922), and the filaments with 5 wt.% embedded TiO2 were found to reduce the viability of both bacteria. This research aims to provide the optimal approach for antimicrobial and medical 3D printing outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sotirios Pemas
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Information Technologies Institute, 6th km Charilaou-Thermi Road, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece; (S.P.); (D.T.)
| | - Eleftheria Xanthopoulou
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and Colors, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (E.X.); (D.N.B.)
| | - Zoi Terzopoulou
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and Colors, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (E.X.); (D.N.B.)
| | - Georgios Konstantopoulos
- Laboratory of General Microbiology, Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (G.K.); (C.K.)
| | - Dimitrios N. Bikiaris
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and Colors, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (E.X.); (D.N.B.)
| | - Christine Kottaridi
- Laboratory of General Microbiology, Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (G.K.); (C.K.)
| | - Dimitrios Tzovaras
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Information Technologies Institute, 6th km Charilaou-Thermi Road, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece; (S.P.); (D.T.)
| | - Eleftheria Maria Pechlivani
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Information Technologies Institute, 6th km Charilaou-Thermi Road, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece; (S.P.); (D.T.)
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Makri SP, Xanthopoulou E, Valera MA, Mangas A, Marra G, Ruiz V, Koltsakidis S, Tzetzis D, Zoikis Karathanasis A, Deligkiozi I, Nikolaidis N, Bikiaris D, Terzopoulou Z. Poly(Lactic Acid) Composites with Lignin and Nanolignin Synthesized by In Situ Reactive Processing. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15102386. [PMID: 37242959 DOI: 10.3390/polym15102386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites with 0.5 wt% lignin or nanolignin were prepared with two different techniques: (a) conventional melt-mixing and (b) in situ Ring Opening Polymerization (ROP) by reactive processing. The ROP process was monitored by measuring the torque. The composites were synthesized rapidly using reactive processing that took under 20 min. When the catalyst amount was doubled, the reaction time was reduced to under 15 min. The dispersion, thermal transitions, mechanical properties, antioxidant activity, and optical properties of the resulting PLA-based composites were evaluated with SEM, DSC, nanoindentation, DPPH assay, and DRS spectroscopy. All reactive processing-prepared composites were characterized by means of SEM, GPC, and NMR to assess their morphology, molecular weight, and free lactide content. The benefits of the size reduction of lignin and the use of in situ ROP by reactive processing were demonstrated, as the reactive processing-produced nanolignin-containing composites had superior crystallization, mechanical, and antioxidant properties. These improvements were attributed to the participation of nanolignin in the ROP of lactide as a macroinitiator, resulting in PLA-grafted nanolignin particles that improved its dispersion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia P Makri
- Creative Nano PC, 43 Tatoiou, Metamorfosi, 14451 Athens, Greece
- Laboratory of Polymer and Colors Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Eleftheria Xanthopoulou
- Laboratory of Polymer and Colors Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Miguel Angel Valera
- AIMPLAS, Asociación de Investigación de Materiales Plásticos Y Conexas, Carrer de Gustave Eiffel, 4, 46980 Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Mangas
- AIMPLAS, Asociación de Investigación de Materiales Plásticos Y Conexas, Carrer de Gustave Eiffel, 4, 46980 Valencia, Spain
| | - Giacomo Marra
- AIMPLAS, Asociación de Investigación de Materiales Plásticos Y Conexas, Carrer de Gustave Eiffel, 4, 46980 Valencia, Spain
| | - Víctor Ruiz
- AIMPLAS, Asociación de Investigación de Materiales Plásticos Y Conexas, Carrer de Gustave Eiffel, 4, 46980 Valencia, Spain
| | - Savvas Koltsakidis
- Digital Manufacturing and Materials Characterization Laboratory, School of Science and Technology, International Hellenic University, 14 km Thessaloniki, 57001 N. Moudania, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Tzetzis
- Digital Manufacturing and Materials Characterization Laboratory, School of Science and Technology, International Hellenic University, 14 km Thessaloniki, 57001 N. Moudania, Greece
| | | | | | - Nikolaos Nikolaidis
- Laboratory of Polymer and Colors Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Bikiaris
- Laboratory of Polymer and Colors Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Zoi Terzopoulou
- Laboratory of Polymer and Colors Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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Blending PLA with Polyesters Based on 2,5-Furan Dicarboxylic Acid: Evaluation of Physicochemical and Nanomechanical Properties. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14214725. [DOI: 10.3390/polym14214725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a readily available, compostable biobased polyester with high strength and toughness, and it is excellent for 3D printing applications. Polymer blending is an economic and easy way to improve its properties, such as its slow degradation and crystallization rates and its small elongation, and thus, make it more versatile. In this work, the effects of different 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA)-based polyesters on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of PLA were studied. Poly(butylene furan 2,5-dicarboxylate) (PBF) and its copolymers with poly(butylene adipate) (PBAd) were synthesized in various comonomer ratios and were blended with 70 wt% PLA using melt compounding. The thermal, morphological and mechanical properties of the blends are investigated. All blends were immiscible, and the presence of the dispersed phases improved the crystallization ability of PLA. Mechanical testing revealed the plasticization of PLA after blending, and a small but measurable mass loss after burying in soil for 7 months. Reactive blending was evaluated as a compatibilizer-free method to improve miscibility, and it was found that when the thermal stability of the blend components allowed it, some transesterification reactions occurred between the PLA matrix and the FDCA-based dispersed phase after 20 min at 250 °C.
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Graphene Nanoplatelets' Effect on the Crystallization, Glass Transition, and Nanomechanical Behavior of Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) Nanocomposites. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27196653. [PMID: 36235190 PMCID: PMC9571983 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27196653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF) nanocomposites reinforced with various content of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were synthesized in situ in this work. PEF is a widely known biobased polyester with promising physical properties and is considered as the sustainable counterpart of PET. Despite its exceptional gas barrier and mechanical properties, PEF presents with a low crystallization rate. In this context, a small number of GNPs were incorporated into the material to facilitate the nucleation and overall crystallization of the matrix. Kinetic analysis of both the cold and melt crystallization processes of the prepared materials was achieved by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The prepared materials’ isothermal crystallization from the glass and melt states was studied using the Avrami and Hoffman–Lauritzen theories. The Dobreva method was applied for the non-isothermal DSC measurements to calculate the nucleation efficiency of the GNPs on the PEF matrix. Furthermore, Vyazovkin’s isoconversional method was employed to estimate the effective activation energy values of the amorphous materials’ glass transition. Finally, the nanomechanical properties of the amorphous and semicrystalline PEF materials were evaluated via nanoindentation measurements. It is shown that the GNPs facilitate the crystallization process through heterogeneous nucleation and, at the same time, improve the nanomechanical behavior of PEF, with the semicrystalline samples presenting with the larger enhancements.
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