Effect of ZnO on the mechanical properties of PLA/ZnO composite.

This paper studies the effect of ZnO filler content on the mechanical properties of PLA/ZnO. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) was used to print the samples. Polylactic Acid (PLA) was used in this project and the ZnO powder was added during the printing process. The speed of the dispenser (low speed=1000 RPM, medium speed = 1400 RPM and high speed=1800 RPM) is the parameter that was varied to control the filler content of the composite. All the samples underwent a tensile test to determine the mechanical properties and followed by the SEM test to analyse the surface changes and fracture mechanics of the tensile test. Tensile test results reveal that as the dispenser's speed is increased from 1400 RPM to 1800 RPM, the tensile strength decreases from 23.664 MPa to 22.046 MPa. However, pure PLA has the lowest tensile strength at 21.963MPa. This tensile strength corresponds to the percentage of break elongation, with samples at the low dispenser speed of 1000 RPM having the greatest percentage of elongation with 4.04% due to the high tensile strength. SEM analysis reveals that pure PLA has a smooth and flat appearance morphology, whereas the PLA/ZnO composite has a rougher surface and many voids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]