Preparation and characterization of novel PA6/SiO2 composite microsphere applied for selective laser sintering
G. X. Wang, P. Liu, W. Zhang, Zh. Ch. Zhen, X. W. Wang, B. Lu, P. L. Wang, J. H. Ji
Vol. 12., No.1., Pages 13-23, 2018
DOI: 10.3144/expresspolymlett.2018.3
DOI: 10.3144/expresspolymlett.2018.3
Corresponding author: G. X. Wang 
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT
The high cost and less variety of raw materials has greatly restricted the wide application of selective laser sintering (SLS) technology. In order to make the material cheaper and more diverse, PA6 is the most preferable material. In this work, a new PA6/SiO2 composite microsphere used for SLS was designed and fabricated. To construct the material, PA6 porous microspheres with diameters of 20–80 µm and a certain pore volume were firstly prepared by the dissolution precipitation method. Then, SiO2 was generated in situ in the PA6 porous microsphere framework, thus achieving a special structured PA6/SiO2 composite microsphere. These microspheres with much well dispersed SiO2 in PA6 matrices formed a powder with high bulk density and good electron conductivity. The particle size and weight fraction of the two components can be well controlled by adjusting the experimental conditions. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data showed that the composite powder had a larger sintering window, which would be beneficial for SLS processing. The introduction of SiO2 reduced the rate of water absorption in the composite powder, which could improve the accuracy of SLS forming. This work has certain significance as a reference for the design and development of SLS polymer-based composite materials.
