Mechanical, Thermal, and Electrical Properties on 3D Printed Short Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composites have been an important research topic due to their high performance and versatility. In this study, we investigated the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of short carbon fiber-reinforced polypropylene (SCF/PP) composites prepared using the fused deposition modeling (FDM)-3D printing technique. PP was selected as the matrix for 3D printed composites to overcome the processing problems caused by the high content of SCFs. The addition of SCFs also effectively mitigated the warping problem during the PP cooling process. Compared to pure PP, the tensile strength increased by up to 35%, and the bending strength exhibited an approximate 40% enhancement. With increasing SCF content, the thermal conductivity exhibited a linear growth, reaching 0.266 W/(m · K) at 70 °C for the PPCF50 sample, simultaneously demonstrating excellent electrical conductivity. The material also displayed significant potential in electromagnetic protection applications, achieving a maximum shielding effectiveness of 29.8 dB. The texture direction and filling density in 3D printing settings have also been proven to play important roles in adjusting the performance of composite samples. The attempt of this study is beneficial for promoting the widespread application of polyolefin polymers as a consumable matrix material for 3D printed SCF-reinforced composite products.