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Physical and electrical properties of PLA-carbon composites

  • Kang Z. Khor (Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)) ;
  • Cheow K. Yeoh (Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)) ;
  • Pei L. Teh (Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)) ;
  • Thangarajan Mathanesh (Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)) ;
  • Wee C. Wong (Eco Power Synergy Sdn Bhd, Bandar Puchong Jaya)
  • Received : 2023.08.14
  • Accepted : 2024.01.05
  • Published : 2024.06.25
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Abstract

Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA) is a biodegradable thermoplastic that can be produced from renewable material to create various components for industrial purposes. In 3D printing technology, PLA is used due to its good mechanical, electrical, printing properties, environmentally friendly and non-toxic properties. However, the physical properties and excellent electrical insulation properties of PLA have limited its application. In this study, with the carbon black (CB) as filler added into PLA, the lattice spacing and morphology were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The physical properties of PLA-carbon composite were evaluated by using tensile test, shore D hardness test and density and voids measurement. Impedance test was conducted to investigate the electrical properties of PLA-Carbon composites. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of carbon black as filler enhances the physical properties of the PLA-carbon composites, including tensile properties, hardness, and density. The addition of carbon black also leads to improved electrical conductivity of the composites. Better enhancement toward the electrical properties of PLA-carbon composites is observed with 1wt% of carbon black in N774 grade. The N550 grade with 2wt% of carbon black shows better improvement in the physical properties of PLA-carbon composites, achieving 10.686 MPa in tensile testing, 43.330 in shore D hardness test, and a density of 1.200 g/cm3 in density measurement. The findings suggest that PLA-carbon composites have the potential for enhanced performance in various industrial applications, particularly in sectors requiring improved physical and electrical properties.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The author wishes to acknowledge Eco Power Synergy Sdn. Bhd. Mr Chang Chin Fooi, Dato' Dr Yew Chong Hooi, Dr Wong Wee Chun and Dr Suhaila Halim, which provided carbon black used for this thesis and Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), especially the Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technology and the Centre of Excellence (FrontMATE), for providing the laboratory and testing facilities.

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