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Mechanical, Electromagnetic, and X-ray Shielding Characterization of a 3D Printable Tungsten–Polycarbonate Polymer Matrix Composite for Space-Based Applications

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Abstract

Material-extrusion three-dimensional (3D) printing has recently attracted much interest because of its process flexibility, rapid response to design alterations, and ability to create structures “on-the-go”. For this reason, 3D printing has possible applications in rapid creation of space-based devices, for example cube satellites (CubeSat). This work focused on fabrication and characterization of tungsten-doped polycarbonate polymer matrix composites specifically designed for x-ray radiation-shielding applications. The polycarbonate–tungsten polymer composite obtained intentionally utilizes low loading levels to provide x-ray shielding while limiting effects on other properties of the material, for example weight, electromagnetic functionality, and mechanical strength. The fabrication process, from tungsten functionalization to filament extrusion and material characterization, is described, including printability, determination of x-ray attenuation, tensile strength, impact resistance, and gigahertz permittivity, and failure analysis. The proposed materials are uniquely advantageous when implemented in 3D printed structures, because even a small volume fraction of tungsten has been shown to substantially alter the properties of the resulting composite.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, the W. M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, the University of Arizona, COSMIAC, and NASA Glenn Research Center. The research presented here was performed as a result of funding in part from The America Makes Manufacturing Initiative, the State of Texas Emerging Technology Fund, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under grant number NNX13AB53G, AFOSR YIP under grant number FA9550-14-1-0260, the National Science Foundation under awards 0823864 and 0925220, and the state of Arizona under TRIF.

This project was supported by a grant from the Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program through funding from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official positions or views of the Intelligence Community or of any other US Government agency. Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying US Government authentication of information or Intelligence Community endorsement of the author’s views.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Corey M. Shemelya, Armando Rivera,  Angel Torrado Perez, Carmen Rocha, Ryan B. Wicker, Eric MacDonald & David A. Roberson

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Corey M. Shemelya & Eric MacDonald

  3. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Angel Torrado Perez, Carmen Rocha & David A. Roberson

  4. Polymer Extrusion Lab, W. M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Angel Torrado Perez, Carmen Rocha & David A. Roberson

  5. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Min Liang, Xiaoju Yu & Hao Xin

  6. COSMIAC, 2350 Alamo Avenue SE, Albuquerque, NM, 87106, USA

    Craig Kief & David Alexander

  7. NASA Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44135, USA

    James Stegeman

  8. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Ryan B. Wicker

  9. Center for Structural and Functional Materials Research and Innovation, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    David A. Roberson

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  1. Corey M. Shemelya
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  2. Armando Rivera
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  3. Angel Torrado Perez
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  4. Carmen Rocha
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  5. Min Liang
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  6. Xiaoju Yu
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  7. Craig Kief
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  8. David Alexander
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  9. James Stegeman
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  10. Hao Xin
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  11. Ryan B. Wicker
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  12. Eric MacDonald
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  13. David A. Roberson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David A. Roberson.

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Shemelya, C.M., Rivera, A., Perez, .T. et al. Mechanical, Electromagnetic, and X-ray Shielding Characterization of a 3D Printable Tungsten–Polycarbonate Polymer Matrix Composite for Space-Based Applications. J. Electron. Mater. 44, 2598–2607 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-3687-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-3687-7

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