Advancing Material Extrusion with Carbon Nanotube-Enhanced Polymers

Material Extrusion (MEX), one of the most widely adopted Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies, has gained prominence for its accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability to a broad range of material systems. Beyond conventional thermoplastics, recent advancements have focused on fiber- and nanoparticle-reinforced polymers to enhance the mechanical, thermal, and functional properties of MEX-fabricated parts. In particular, MultiWall Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT)-infused polymers have emerged as a promising class of nanocomposites, offering opportunities to improve structural performance, vibration damping, and application-specific reliability.
This study systematically characterizes the behavior of MEX-produced MWCNT-polymer composites under low-cycle fatigue loading and induced vibration, while also examining the role of post-processing techniques in refining material performance. The findings reveal that although CNT-reinforced polymers exhibit reduced fatigue strength relative to virgin polymers, they demonstrate significantly enhanced damping capacity and dynamic stability, highlighting the complex trade-offs introduced by nanoparticle integration. Furthermore, post-processing steps—particularly annealing—were shown to mitigate nanoparticle agglomeration, improve CNT dispersion, and facilitate superior stress transfer, ultimately enhancing thermal stability and durability.
Overall, this work advances the understanding of nanoparticle-reinforced material extrusion by providing critical insights into the mechanical and dynamic behavior of MWCNT-infused polymers, thereby informing design strategies for next-generation AM components.