Preliminary characterization of 3D printed tunable conductive structures for sensing applications

This study presents the preliminary characterization of 3D-printed tunable conductive structures based on conductive polymer composites (CPCs) for sensing applications. By integrating polymer foaming through Foam Additive Manufacturing (FAM) with conductive fillers, we explore the correlation between cellular morphology and electrical conductivity. A TPU-based conductive filament, impregnated with CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> as a physical blowing agent, was used to fabricate structured foams via controlled absorption and desorption processes. Rheological and electrical characterizations were conducted to analyze the effects of foaming on material properties. Results demonstrate that extrusion conditions influence filler alignment, impacting conductivity and sensing performance. The fabricated structures exhibit strain-sensitive electrical behavior, suggesting their potential in flexible electronics and sensor applications.