Mechanical Property Enhancement of Polypropylene Through Sustainable Epoxy Doping Employing Advanced Additive Manufacturing Technique

This paper characterizes the mechanical properties and morphology of polypropylene (PP) and sustainable epoxy (SE) composites before and after the UV degradation experiment.PP and SE polymer composites were prepared through melt blending and were used to prepare 3D-printed samples.The obtained specimens were exposed to UV radiation for up to 3000 hours, and the tensile properties and surface microstructures were characterised through SEM.This study shows that the sample's tensile properties are decreased by UV irradiation due to PP photodegradation and that adding 1-5 wt % SE increases tensile strength and opposes UV impact.Compared with the materials under test the extruded PP with SE has the highest young modulus and strength while the Filament PP has the poorest mechanical properties.Results indicated the composite containing 1% SE has the highest tensile strength while the one having 2% SE has the highest young modulus.This work highlights the potential of SE-doped PP as a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable material for additive manufacturing, offering improved UV stability for diverse applications.