(188a) Filament Fabrication and 3D Printability of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends using a Commercial Chain Extender

A series of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) (60:40), (50:50), and (40:60) %wt. based blends were successfully 3D printed using a commercial chain extender (CE). Breakage and buckling behaviour of the filaments during melt extrusion and 3D printing were addressed accordingly. The incorporation of the CE allowed high printing temperatures (220°C) of PHBV, resulting in good bed adhesion and warpage prevention. When investigating the 3D printing parameters of the blends, a bed temperature of 60°C and a layer height of 0.25mm were found to exhibit the highest mechanical properties. Scanning electron microscopy of tensile fractured specimens revealed that good weld formation was present for all samples that were printed at the optimal printing parameter. Poor adhesion between layers was observed when printing the blends with a bed temperature of 90°C. This study highlights the effect of the CE on the printability of PHBV/PLA based blends as well as the importance of appropriate printing parameters in the performance of 3D printed parts.

Acknowledgements: This research is financially supported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), University of Guelph, Bioeconomy Industrial Uses Research Program Theme Project #030252; the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canada Discovery Grants Project #400320; and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade ORF-RE09-078 (Project #053970);.

Keywords: 3D printing, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-3-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), poly(lactic acid), fused deposition modeling, biopolymers.