Development and Optimization of Medical-Grade Multi-Functional Polyamide 12-Cuprous Oxide Nanocomposites with Superior Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties for Cost-Effective 3D Printing

In the current study, nanocomposites of medical-grade polyamide 12 (PA12) with incorporated copper (I) oxide (cuprous oxide-Cu(2)O) were prepared and fully characterized for their mechanical, thermal, and antibacterial properties. The investigation was performed on specimens manufactured by fused filament fabrication (FFF) and aimed to produce multi-purpose geometrically complex nanocomposite materials that could be employed in medical, food, and other sectors. Tensile, flexural, impact and Vickers microhardness measurements were conducted on the 3D-printed specimens. The fractographic inspection was conducted utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), to determine the fracture mechanism and qualitatively evaluate the process. Moreover, the thermal properties were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (D/TGA). Finally, their antibacterial performance was assessed through a screening method of well agar diffusion. The results demonstrate that the overall optimum performance was achieved for the nanocomposites with 2.0 wt.% loading, while 0.5 wt.% to 4.0 wt.% loading was concluded to have discrete improvements of either the mechanical, the thermal, or the antibacterial performance.