journal article·2026-07-14

Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate ( ASA ) With Optimized Aluminum Oxide ( Al 2 O 3 ) Nanofiller Content for MEX Additive Manufacturing: Thermomechanical, Rheological, and Quality Metrics

Nectarios Vidakis, Markos Petousis, Nikolaos Michailidis, Emmanuel Stratakis, Vassilis M. Papadakis, Maria Spyridaki, Aikaterini Gkagkanatsiou, Apostolos Argyros, Nektarios K. Nasikas

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Abstract

ABSTRACT As additive manufacturing (AM) continues to expand, the demand for durable components for outdoor applications is increasing. Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA), a weather‐resistant polymer, is widely used in these applications, and improving its performance could broaden its range of applications. In this study, ceramic aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles, known for their hardness and insulating properties, were added to ASA to produce enhanced nanocomposites for AM. Five filler loadings (2.0–10.0 wt%) were evaluated and compared with neat ASA. The resulting materials were characterized through thermomechanical, mechanical, thermal, morphological, rheological, structural, and quality assessments. Aluminum oxide improved the mechanical performance by 13.1% to 16.8% and structural metrics by 13.1% for tensile and flexural strength and up to 45.6% for porosity reduction. The nanoparticles also affected the morphology of the samples, which may be critical for specific applications. Among the formulations, the 6 wt% composite performed best, indicating that intermediate filler levels offer the best balance of reinforcement, quality, and processability. These results provide new insights into ASA/Al 2 O 3 ceramic nanocomposites produced by AM.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies · Advanced ceramic materials synthesis · Polymer Foaming and Composites

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Mechanical Engineering Hellenic Mediterranean University Heraklion Greece

Physical Metallurgy Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering Department School of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Greece

Centre for Research & Development of Advanced Materials (CERDAM), Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation Thessaloniki Greece

Foundation for Research and Technology‐Hellas (FO.R.T.H) Heraklion Greece

Qingdao Innovation and Development Center, Harbin Engineering University Qingdao China

Department of Industrial Design and Production Engineering University of West Attica Athens Greece

Division of Mathematics and Engineering Sciences, Department of Military Sciences Hellenic Army Academy Attica Greece

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