Modified titanium dioxide for 3D printing applications

This chapter describes the methodology of obtaining polylactide (PLA) biocomposites with the TiO2 modified by organosilicon compounds: disiloxane and functionalized octaspherosilicate designed for use in additive technologies. The paper presents general information about polylactide, titanium dioxide and the used organosilicon modifiers (silsesqioxanes and polysiloxanes). In the paper the authors compare the effect of two types of TiO2 from different manufacturers on the properties of polymer biocomposites, which can be used in biomedical applications. The properties of the obtained composites with the use of additive FDM technology were characterized mechanically (tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength), and the particle size of the TiO2 pigment nanofillers used was measured. All the composites were pretreated using a plastic processing technique with two different mass ratios of TiO2 filler content (1.5%; 0.5%). The properties of PLA/TiO2 composites depend on the filler concentration. The applied fillers had a positive effect on the improvement of the mechanical properties of the produced polymer composites. This effect was additionally intensified by the introduction of organosilicon modifiers.