۳D-Printed Porous Aluminum Monoliths as Customizable Nano-Enabled Substrates for Photocatalytic Wastewater Treatment and Environmental Remediation

Porous metallic substrates with high surface area and interconnected porosity are essential in nanotechnology-based wastewater treatment, acting as robust and recyclable supports for nano photocatalysts and nano adsorbents. Conventional powder-based nano catalysts (e.g., TiO₂, ZnO, or MOF nanoparticles) suffer from difficult separation, aggregation, low recyclability, and inadequate mechanical stability in flow-through systems, restricting their practical use—especially in resource-limited developing countries. Traditional fabrication methods compound these problems with high costs, material waste, energy intensity, and geometric constraints. This study develops a low-cost fused deposition modeling (FDM) ۳D printing method to create porous aluminum monoliths from high-loading Al/ABS composites (۷۷.۶۷ wt.% Al) compatibilized with ۲.۹ wt.% maleic anhydride-grafted ABS (ABS-g-MA). The compatibilizer triples filament flexibility, allowing extrusion and printing of complex geometries. Thermal post-processing (debinding at ۴۰۰ °C and sintering at ۶۰۰ °C) produces self-supporting structures featuring ۲۰–۳۰% open interconnected porosity with a median pore throat diameter of ۶.۲ μm, delivering high permeability and specific surface area. This approach cuts energy use by ~۳۰% and costs by ~۵۰% versus conventional techniques, while offering customizable designs for flow-through filtration. DFT simulations reveal strong interfacial stability (binding energies –۵۰ to –۷۰ kJ/mol), facilitating nanoparticle anchoring. These porous aluminum substrates provide a promising nano-enabled platform for photocatalytic adsorption and degradation in environmental remediation, with a tensile modulus of ~۱۷ MPa balancing strength and porosity effectively. The findings demonstrate the significant potential of FDM-based ۳D printing for affordable, efficient porous metal supports in nanotechnology-driven water purification.

کلیدواژه ها:

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) ، Aluminum-ABS composite ، Maleic anhydride compatibilizer ، Nano photocatalyst Supports ، Nano-enabled Photocatalysis