Processing and characterization of thermoplastic polyurethane composites filled with graphene oxide produced by laser sintering

Processing of specialized flexible conductive components has drawn a lot of attention as the electronic component industry is moving towards intelligence and wearability. The processing of flexible, custom-made conductive components has recently become a key objective. Additionally, additive manufacturing has emerged as a crucial method. The viability of producing a composite material out of graphene oxide (GO) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) using the laser sintering (LS) technology was established in this work. Following the carbonization treatment on the entire GO/TPU LS portion, the evolution of the matching microstructure was seen, and both dimensional variation and electrical conductivity were examined in the study. Effects of the GO content in the composite powders on the thermal stability, dimensional appearance, and electrical conductivity of carbonized parts were gradually revealed. Additionally, it was explained how the carbonization temperature affected the electrical conductivity of the carbonized GO/TPU portion. The experimental findings showed that the carbonized portion of the GO/TPU composite material had excellent electrical conductivity when the GO content reached 2.5 wt% and the carbonization temperature was set at 800°C. The surface electrical resistivity of the part was calculated as 0.031 Ω·cm. References for the various methods of preparing flexible wearable conductive components were also predicted.