Localized Energy Absorption through LaB6 Surface Modification of PA12 Enables Enhanced Tensile Performance in Diode Laser PBF-LB

Stratmann N, Willeke M, Leupold S, Loza K, Lüddecke A, Kwade A, Schmidt M, Barcikowski S, Ziefuss AR (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Chemistry Methods Chemistry Europe

DOI: 10.1002/cmtd.202500101

Abstract

The shift to energy-efficient near-infrared (NIR) diode lasers in polymer powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/P) challenges standard polymer powders due to insufficient NIR absorption and necessitates tailored feedstock modifications. This study explores the potential of surface modification (s-mod) of polyamide 12 (PA12) with LaB6 nanoparticles (NP) as a scalable alternative to conventional volume modification (v-mod) with carbon black (CB). Despite a tenfold lower overall NIR absorbance, s-mod PA12 achieves comparable melting behavior with only a 1.5-fold increase in laser energy. Combined differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses reveal that surface-localized absorption enables partial retention of α-domains at intermediate energy densities, consistent with a heterogeneous, surface-dominated melting mechanism. At higher energies, s-mod and v-mod converge to fully γ-phase materials with comparable crystallinity. Mechanical testing demonstrates that intermediate s-mod parts exhibit higher crystallinity, whereas fully molten s-mod parts outperform v-mod counterparts in tensile strength while maintaining ductility. Our findings indicate that s-mod PA12 not only matches the processability of industrial v-mod powders but also introduces new degrees of freedom for tailoring mechanical properties via controlled melting. Decoupling energy absorption from volumetric filler loading expands the material design space for NIR-based additive manufacturing and paving the way for next-generation, high-performance polymer components.

Authors with CRIS profile

Simon Leupold Lehrstuhl für Photonische Technologien (LPT) Michael Schmidt Lehrstuhl für Photonische Technologien (LPT)

Involved external institutions

Universität Duisburg-Essen (UDE) DE Germany (DE) Technische Universität Braunschweig DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Stratmann, N., Willeke, M., Leupold, S., Loza, K., Lüddecke, A., Kwade, A.,... Ziefuss, A.R. (2025). Localized Energy Absorption through LaB6 Surface Modification of PA12 Enables Enhanced Tensile Performance in Diode Laser PBF-LB. Chemistry Methods. https://doi.org/10.1002/cmtd.202500101

MLA:

Stratmann, Nadine, et al. "Localized Energy Absorption through LaB6 Surface Modification of PA12 Enables Enhanced Tensile Performance in Diode Laser PBF-LB." Chemistry Methods (2025).

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