Electrical Anisotropy Controlled Heating of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene 3D Printed Parts

This study proposes a simple method to produce three-dimensional (3D) manufacts with multiscale configurations and controlled electrical resistivity. 3D printed artefacts, based on acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), are obtained by fused filament fabrication. Highly orientated conductive pathways are achieved in the sample by selecting appropriate printing parameters. Scanning electron microscopy and tunnelling atomic force microscopy confirm that the conductive traces are essentially composed of aligned CNTs. The printing process determines an increase in the electrical conductivity from 6.88 × 10-2 (spooled filament) to 11.9 S/m (printed filament). The orientation of the spatial domains from the macro- to nanoscale is responsible for a decrease in the electrical resistance from 7782 (90° raster angle sample) tο 478 Ω (0° raster angle sample). Appropriate selection of the configuration and dimensions of electrical contacts confers the ability to selectively heat the part when subjected to an electric source. Temperature differences up to 55 °C were obtained in samples printed with a double-angle raster combination by changing the applied voltage from 20 to 40 V. This strategy can be used to fabricate electronic devices, thermistors capable of converting electrical energy to thermal energy, heat exchangers, and shielding for electromagnetic interference in a single step.