In-silico platform for the multifunctional design of 3D printed conductive components

Javier Crespo-Miguel, Sergio Lucarini, Sara Garzon-Hernandez, Angel Arias, Emilio Martínez-Pañeda and Daniel Garcia-Gonzalez ()
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Javier Crespo-Miguel: University Carlos III of Madrid, Avda. de la Universidad 30
Sergio Lucarini: Applications and Nanostructures, UPV/EHU Science Park
Sara Garzon-Hernandez: University Carlos III of Madrid, Avda. de la Universidad 30
Angel Arias: University Carlos III of Madrid, Avda. de la Universidad 30
Emilio Martínez-Pañeda: Imperial College of London, South Kensington Campus
Daniel Garcia-Gonzalez: University Carlos III of Madrid, Avda. de la Universidad 30

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract The effective electric resistivity of conductive thermoplastics manufactured by filament extrusion methods is determined by both the material constituents and the printing parameters. The former determines the multifunctional nature of the composite, whereas the latter dictates the mesostructural characteristics such as filament adhesion and void distribution. This work provides a multi-scale computational framework to evaluate the thermo-electro-mechanical behaviour of printed conductive polymers. A full-field homogenisation model first provides the influence of material and mesostructural features (i.e., filament orientations, voids and adhesion between filaments). Then, a macroscopic continuum model elucidates the effects of thermo-electro-mechanical mixed boundary conditions. The in-silico multi-scale methodology is validated with extensive original multi-physical experiments and a functional application consisting of an electro-heatable printing cartridge. Overall, this work establishes the foundations to virtually break the gap between mesoscopic and macroscopic multifunctional responses in conductive components manufactured by additive manufacturing techniques.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56707-y

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