Environmental concerns over plastic waste have increased the demand for sustainable materials in additive manufacturing. Polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable polymer, is widely used in 3D printing but is limited by poor thermal and ultraviolet (UV) durability. This study explored the development of PLA composite filaments for fused filament fabrication (FFF) by combining virgin PLA (vPLA), reprocessed PLA (rPLA), and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles at 0.25 and 0.5 wt.% for 3D-printing material. Six PLA-TiO2-based formulations were melt-extruded into filaments using a single-screw laboratory extruder, with processing adjusted to the TiO2 content to ensure filament quality. The resulting filaments were then used to fabricate 3D-printed specimens for subsequent mechanical, thermal, and structural characterization. Results show that incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles improves the thermal stability and mechanical performance affected by the recycling process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed chemical integrity, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile testing showed increased stiffness and thermal resistance. Additionally, rPLA accelerates biodegradation in compost due to its reduced structural integrity and increased hydrophilicity, while TiO2 nanoparticles can slightly mitigate this effect in higher concentrations.
Citation: Thomas Rodríguez, Nacarí Marín-Calvo, Yessica Sáez, Simón Faba, Marina Patricia Arrieta, Edwin Collado. Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles at low concentrations on PLA and reprocessed PLA nanocomposites properties for 3D printing applications[J]. AIMS Materials Science, 2026, 13(3): 474-501. doi: 10.3934/matersci.2026023
Environmental concerns over plastic waste have increased the demand for sustainable materials in additive manufacturing. Polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable polymer, is widely used in 3D printing but is limited by poor thermal and ultraviolet (UV) durability. This study explored the development of PLA composite filaments for fused filament fabrication (FFF) by combining virgin PLA (vPLA), reprocessed PLA (rPLA), and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles at 0.25 and 0.5 wt.% for 3D-printing material. Six PLA-TiO2-based formulations were melt-extruded into filaments using a single-screw laboratory extruder, with processing adjusted to the TiO2 content to ensure filament quality. The resulting filaments were then used to fabricate 3D-printed specimens for subsequent mechanical, thermal, and structural characterization. Results show that incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles improves the thermal stability and mechanical performance affected by the recycling process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed chemical integrity, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile testing showed increased stiffness and thermal resistance. Additionally, rPLA accelerates biodegradation in compost due to its reduced structural integrity and increased hydrophilicity, while TiO2 nanoparticles can slightly mitigate this effect in higher concentrations.
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Figures(12) / Tables(5)
Thomas Rodríguez, Nacarí Marín-Calvo, Yessica Sáez, Simón Faba, Marina Patricia Arrieta, Edwin Collado. Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles at low concentrations on PLA and reprocessed PLA nanocomposites properties for 3D printing applications[J]. AIMS Materials Science, 2026, 13(3): 474-501. doi: 10.3934/matersci.2026023
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