Evaluation of an electrochemical cell 3D-printed with PLA/PTFE polymer filament

Abstract

3-dimensions (3D) printing technology is a type of additive manufacturing (AM) that is on the rise and works by manufacturing components by the deposition of a thermoplastic layer upon layer. In this paper, we explore the use of AM to print a novel fused deposition modeling-based 3D printing electrochemical cell from a non-commercially available composite of PLA/PTFE polymer filament for corrosion applications within materials science. To validate the 3D printed cell, a galvanic series and cyclic voltammetry to aluminum in Hank’s solution was done, and a corrosion resistance study was conducted by using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and anodic and cathodic polarization (Tafel) techniques to a virgin and a boride ASTM F-73 alloy as working electrode. The results show the possibility of replacing commercial electrochemical cells with 3D printed ones without any compromise on quality of the experiment. Also, this inexpensive and simple instrument design is both, adaptable and sensitive for a wide range of laboratory electrochemical applications.