Micro powder poly lactic acid/carbon black composite as a bio printing ink

• Published in: Journal of composite materials 2019-07, Vol.53 (17), p.2407-2414
• Main Authors: Salehi, Mohammad Mahdi, Ataeefard, Maryam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0021-9983; 1530-793X
• DOI: 10.1177/0021998319828154

Bio toners represent a novel class of electrostatic imaging powders which provide sustainability, compostability and bio-degradability. Due to the advantages of bio toners, this paper focused on the preparation of a bio-based micro powdered composite derived from poly lactic acid and carbon black to apply it as an electrophotographic printing bio ink. The bio toner was characterized by particle size analyzer, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The viscoelastic properties were calculated with rheometrics mechanical spectrometer. These properties were then used to estimate the strain deformation of the toner as it passes through the nip with arbitrary residence time and nip pressure as a function of gel content. The outcomes of this study proved that the poly lactic acid is an appropriate polymer for the production of toners in terms of processing, printing efficiency. The bio toners' results demonstrated the promising and worthy outcomes in comparison to commercially available petroleum-based toners.