Evaluation of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/carbon black composites, manufactured by selective laser sintering

Abstract In this study, we investigated the viability of processing composites based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) and carbon black (PVDF/CB) applying the selective laser sintering (SLS) process, with equipment constructed in the laboratory. In the first step, the powder particles of PVDF and CB were characterized by scanning electron microscope, particle size distribution, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. In order to evaluate the effect of CB on the morphology, electrical conductivity, and mechanical properties, specimens of PVDF/CB composites with different weight fractions (wt%) were manufactured. The addition of conductive CB to the PVDF matrix improves the mechanical properties up to a certain point, with fractions greater than 1.00 wt% of CB resulting in a decrease in the mechanical properties of the composite. For the composite with 0.5 wt% of CB the electrical conductivity was around 10 ⁻⁴ S/cm, representing an increase of approximately 10 orders of magnitude when compared to the neat PVDF (3.41 x 10 ⁻¹⁵ S/cm). In addition, increases of 59% for the elastic modulus and 150% for the maximum stress were observed when compared to the corresponding values for neat PVDF. The results obtained in this study demonstrate the potential for the use of PVDF/CB composites as a raw material to produce functional components by the SLS process.