Mapúa Institute of Technology

About: Mapúa Institute of Technology is a facility organization based out in Manila, Philippines. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & Membrane. The organization has 2334 authors who have published 1316 publications receiving 7461 citations.

High performance polymer nanocomposites for additive manufacturing applications

Abstract: Additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) involves the process of fabricating a part by layer-by-layer assembly of materials with processes such as extrusion, binding, melting, and photopolymerization. It is transforming how we assemble our prototypes and, in the future, manufacture our products. There have been a number of materials that can be utilized for this technology, however, high performance polymer nanocomposites are a very important class of material that is just recently being used in additive manufacturing. High performance polymer is a group of polymer materials that are known to retain its desirable mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties when subjected to harsh environment such as high temperature, high pressure, and corrosive chemicals. When mixed with nanofillers such as carbon nanotube, nanoclay, and graphene, these polymers can have improved mechanical properties and sometimes acquire properties that were not present initially like thermal and electrical conductivity. This review article aims to summarize available additive manufacturing techniques, high performance polymers and nanofillers available, and research efforts on its use for additive manufacturing.

Densities and refractive indices of the deep eutectic solvents (choline chloride + ethylene glycol or glycerol) and their aqueous mixtures at the temperature ranging from 298.15 to 333.15 K

Abstract: Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are new emerging alternatives to conventional ionic liquids that may find a number of interesting applications in industrial and chemical processes. In this study, the densities, ρ, and refractive indices, nD, of the DESs (choline chloride + ethylene glycol) and (choline chloride + glycerol) and their aqueous mixtures were investigated at atmospheric pressure over the temperature range 298.15–333.15 K and across a complete composition range. The excess molar volumes, VE, and refractive index deviations, ΔnD, were also calculated from experimental results. The calculated excess molar volumes were negative at all temperatures over the entire range of composition considered, suggesting the presence of strong interactions between water and the DES in the mixtures. The refractive index deviations, on the other hand, were found positive in the entire concentration range. The calculated properties were fitted to a Redlich–Kister type equation to correlate them to the temperature and composition. The correlations used satisfactorily represent the densities and refractive indices of the pure DESs and their aqueous binary mixtures as functions of temperature and composition as indicated by the low overall average absolute deviations obtained in the calculations.

3D Printing of Photocurable Cellulose Nanocrystal Composite for Fabrication of Complex Architectures via Stereolithography

Abstract: The advantages of 3D printing on cost, speed, accuracy, and flexibility have attracted several new applications in various industries especially in the field of medicine where customized solutions are highly demanded. Although this modern fabrication technique offers several benefits, it also poses critical challenges in materials development suitable for industry use. Proliferation of polymers in biomedical application has been severely limited by their inherently weak mechanical properties despite their other excellent attributes. Earlier works on 3D printing of polymers focus mainly on biocompatibility and cellular viability and lack a close attention to produce robust specimens. Prized for superior mechanical strength and inherent stiffness, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) from abaca plant is incorporated to provide the necessary toughness for 3D printable biopolymer. Hence, this work demonstrates 3D printing of CNC-filled biomaterial with significant improvement in mechanical and surface properties. Thes...