Title: Creating nanocomposite coatings using the cold spray additive manufacturing technique

Author (Talk): Kashyap Sundara Rajan, UMass Amherst

Abstract:

Cold spray is an additive manufacturing technique that was developed in Russia a few decades ago, and has gained traction over the years for being eco-friendly and easy to use. It consists of a high-pressure carrier gas, that accelerates micron or sub-micron sized powder particles to impact onto a variety of substrates. This impact causes the particles to undergo high rates of plastic deformation at the surface of the substrate and bond thoroughly to the substrate. Polymer cold spray is slowly gaining traction as a reliable technique to create coatings of polymeric materials on a variety of substrates. In this study, we focus on cold spray of high density polyethylene (HDPE) powders compounded with carbon nanotubes (CNT). It was observed that the addition of CNTs to HDPE resulted in a twofold increase in the efficiency of the process. Cold spraying also affects the orientation of the CNTs within the HDPE matrix, resulting in an interconnecting network of CNTs which allows for electrical conductivity through the sample. The presence of CNTs also positively affects the strength of the cold-sprayed samples. These findings will help optimize powder spray coating techniques and aid in creating strong and effective coatings using eco-friendly manufacturing techniques.