Optimizing Titanium Carbide (TiC) ceramic nanofiller loading in isotactic Polypropylene for MEX additive manufacturing: Mechano-thermal and rheology aspects

Herein, Titanium carbide (TiC) was assessed as a reinforcing additive in the polypropylene (PP) thermoplastic. The thermomechanical and rheological characteristics of the prepared nanocomposites were evaluated. A thorough characterization strategy was designed and implemented (eleven different experiments). The nanocomposites were made using the melt extrusion technique (extruder). For the experiments, samples of the PP/TiC nanocomposites were produced by utilizing the fused filament fabrication (FFF) additive manufacturing (AM) technique. By altering the weight percentage of TiC from 0.0% to 10.0%, the effects of TiC on the characteristics of the composite material were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyzed the fractography and morphology of the produced specimens, while Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were employed to identify and assess the chemical structure of the polymer material and respective nanomaterials. Rheological investigations were also conducted. The addition of Titanium carbide nanopowder/nanoparticles greatly improved the mechanical properties of the PP material. The best mechanical performance was achieved by the PP/ TiC 6 wt. % compound showing an enhancement of 17.5% and 17.1%, respectively over the flexural and the tensile strength. The results showed these PP-based nanocompounds can achieve optimal results for specific purposes and demanding applications.