Influência da densidade de energia sobre as propriedades mecânicas de peças fabricadas em diferentes PA12 por sinterização seletiva a laser

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica, Florianópolis, 2016.A sinterização seletiva a laser (SLS) é considerada uma das mais versáteis tecnologias de manufatura aditiva devido a sua habilidade para processar muitos tipos de materiais. Dentre os materiais poliméricos a Poliamida 12 é a mais utilizada. Resultados de pesquisas publicadas na literatura especializada evidenciam que as propriedades finais das peças obtidas por esta técnica dependem de uma composição de variáveis (parâmetros), ajustadas no equipamento, que influenciam o processo de sinterização. Igualmente, as características geométricas e propriedades da PA12 empregada também são apontadas como condições capazes de influenciar na dinâmica de sinterização. Contudo, o conhecimento até aqui obtido a respeito do processo de fabricação com este material baseia-se fundamentalmente em estudos realizados com matérias-primas desenvolvidas especificamente para uso em um dado equipamento comercial. Com a recente expiração dos prazos de proteção de patentes deste tipo de tecnologia, novos fabricantes de equipamentos e de PA12 para SLS tem surgido no mercado, abrindo oportunidade de novas pesquisas e aprimoramento da tecnologia. Este trabalho investigou a influência da densidade de energia, para diferentes potências aplicadas por um laser de CO2 e diferentes velocidades de varredura, na qualidade (propriedades mecânicas e microestrutura) de corpos de prova fabricados em um equipamento SLS nacional. Foram empregadas PA12 de três diferentes fornecedores. Os resultados foram avaliados em termos de: módulo de elasticidade, tensão máxima, deformação total, densidade aparente e microestrutura. Os resultados mostraram que se mantendo constante a densidade de energia aplicada, aumentando-se simultaneamente os valores de velocidade de varredura e de potência do laser, as propriedades mecânicas apresentaram diferenças em relação à mudança nos valores de módulo de elasticidade, na tensão máxima, na deformação e na densidade aparente. A diferença morfológica das PA12 escolhidas se mostrou como o fator mais influente para as propriedades mecânicas neste estudo.Abstract : Selective laser sintering (SLS) is considered one of the most versatile additive manufacturing technologies due its ability to process many types of materials. Among the polymeric materials, Polyamide 12 is the most commonly used. Research results published in the literature show that the final properties of the parts obtained by this technique depends on a composition of variables (parameters) set in the equipment, which influence the sintering process. Also, the geometric characteristics and properties of PA12 employed are also identified as conditions that can influence the sintering dynamics. However, the knowledge obtained so far about the manufacturing process with this material is based fundamentally in raw materials dedicated to manufacture in a specific commercial equipment. With the recent patent protection expiration for this type of technology, new equipment manufacturers as well as PA12 material suppliers emerged in the market, opening new opportunities to research and technology improvement. This study investigated the energy density influence of different powers applied by a CO2 laser and different scanning speeds, in quality (mechanical properties and microstructure) of specimens manufactured in a national SLS equipment. PA12 from three different suppliers were employed. The results were evaluated in terms of: tensile modulus, maximum stress, total strain, apparent density and microstructure. The results showed that maintaining the applied energy density, increasing simultaneously the scan speed and laser power values, mechanical properties showed differences in terms of tensile modulus, maximum stress, total strain and apparent density. The morphological differences between the PA12 employed was shown to be the most influential factor for the mechanical properties in this study

Towards the Development of a Z-Scheme FeOx/g-C3N4 Thin Film and Perspectives for Ciprofloxacin Visible Light-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation

Thermally synthesized graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) over pulsed laser deposition (PLD) produced urchin-like iron oxide (FeOx) thin films were fabricated via in situ and ex situ processes. Materials characterisation revealed the formation of the graphitic allotrope of C3N4 and a bandgap Eg for the combined FeOx/g-C3N4 of 1.87 and 1.95 eV for each of the different fabrication strategies. The in situ method permitted to develop a novel petal-like morphology, whereas for the ex situ method, a morphological mixture between FeOx bulk and g-C3N4 was observed. Given the improved optical and morphological properties of the in situ film, it was employed as a proof of concept for the direct photocatalysis and photo-Fenton removal of ciprofloxacin antibiotic (CIP) under visible light irradiation. Improved photocatalytic activity (rate constant k = 8.28 × 10−4 min−1) was observed, with further enhancement under photo-Fenton conditions (k = 2.6 × 10−3 min−1), in comparison with FeOx + H2O2 (k = 1.6 × 10−3 min−1) and H2O2 only (k = 1.3 × 10−4 min−1). These effects demonstrate the in situ methodology as a viable route to obtain working heterojunctions for solar photocatalysis in thin-film materials, rather than the more common powder materials

Solar Concentration for Wastewaters Remediation: A Review of Materials and Technologies

As the effectiveness of conventional wastewater treatment processes is increasingly challenged by the growth of industrial activities, a demand for low-cost and low-impact treatments is emerging. A possible solution is represented by systems coupling solar concentration technology with advanced oxidation processes (AOP). In this paper, a review of solar concentration technologies for wastewater remediation is presented, with a focus on photocatalyst materials used in this specific research context. Recent results, though mostly on model systems, open promising perspectives for the use of concentrated sunlight as the energy source powering AOPs. We identify (i) the development of photocatalyst materials capable of efficiently working with sunlight, and (ii) the transition to real wastewater investigation as the most critical issues to be addressed by research in the field