Thermally curable piezoelectric composites and use thereof in additive manufacturing
Parts made by additive manufacturing are often structural in nature, rather than having functional properties conveyed by a polymer or other component present therein. Printed parts having piezoelectric properties may be formed using compositions comprising a plurality of piezoelectric particles and a polymer material comprising at least one thermoplastic polymer and at least one thermally curable polymer precursor. At a sufficient temperature, the at least one thermally curable polymer precursor may undergo a reaction, optionally also undergoing a reaction with the piezoelectric particles, and form an at least partially cured printed part. The piezoelectric particles may be mixed with the polymer material and remain substantially non-agglomerated when combined with the polymer material. The compositions may define a form factor such as a composite filament, a composite pellet, or an extrudable composite paste, which may be utilized in forming printed part by extrusion, layer-by-layer deposition, and thermal curing.
1 . A composition comprising:
a plurality of piezoelectric particles dispersed in at least a portion of a polymer material comprising at least one thermoplastic polymer and at least one thermally curable polymer precursor, wherein the polymer material and the piezoelectric particles collectively define an extrudable material that is a composite filament.
2 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric particles are thermally curable and comprise a thermally curable functional group.
3 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermally curable polymer precursor is crosslinkable by thermally generated free radicals.
4 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric particles are substantially non-agglomerated when combined with the polymer material.
5 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric particles have an average particle size of about 10 microns or less.
6 . The composition of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one thermal initiator.
7 . A composition, comprising:
a plurality of piezoelectric particles dispersed in at least a portion of a polymer material comprising at least one thermoplastic polymer and at least one thermally curable polymer precursor, wherein the piezoelectric particles, the at least one thermoplastic polymer, or any combination thereof comprises a thermally curable functional group.
8 . The composition of claim 7 , wherein the polymer material and the piezoelectric particles collectively define an extrudable material that is a composite having a form factor selected from the group consisting of a composite filament, a composite pellet, a composite powder, and a composite paste.
9 . The composition of claim 8 , wherein the piezoelectric particles are uniformly dispersed in at least a portion of the polymer material.
10 . The composition of claim 7 , wherein the at least one thermoplastic polymer comprises a thermally curable functional group.
11 . The composition of claim 10 , wherein the piezoelectric particles are thermally curable and comprise a thermally curable functional group.
12 . The composition of claim 10 , wherein the polymer material and the piezoelectric particles collectively define an extrudable material that is a composite having a form factor selected from the group consisting of a composite filament, a composite pellet, a composite powder, and a composite paste.
13 . The composition of claim 10 , further comprising:
at least one thermal initiator.
14 . An additive manufacturing process comprising:
providing the composition of claim 1 ;
depositing the composition layer-by-layer to form a printed part; and
heating while or after depositing the composition layer-by-layer to a temperature sufficient to react at least the at least one thermally curable polymer precursor to form an at least partially cured printed part.
15 . The additive manufacturing process of claim 14 , wherein the piezoelectric particles are substantially non-agglomerated when combined with the polymer material.
16 . The additive manufacturing process of claim 14 , wherein the printed part is formed by a fused filament fabrication process.
17 . The additive manufacturing process of claim 14 , wherein the piezoelectric particles are thermally curable and comprise a thermally curable functional group, and the piezoelectric particles are reacted with each other, the at least one thermally curable polymer precursor, or any combination thereof at the temperature sufficient to react at least the at least one thermally curable polymer precursor.
18 . A printed part comprising the composition of claim 1 .
19 . The printed part of claim 18 , wherein the at least one thermally curable polymer precursor is in a covalently crosslinked polymer form.