A Review on Mechanical Properties Modification of Polymer with Talc Powder

Recycling always acts as the best solution for the aggravated plastic pollution. One of the potential applications for these recycled plastics is 3D printing filaments in the Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) Printers. However, the mechanical performance of recycled plastics may not up to standard for application, thus additives are essential to improve their mechanical properties. Talc powder has been used in the polymer industry for many years owing to its abundance, non-toxicity, high aspect ratio and low-cost. Besides traditional additive, the alternative to talc powder is the bio-oil extracted from food waste using in the recycled 3D printing filaments is also being investigated under our research study. The objective of this paper is studying the effectiveness of talc on mechanical properties alteration in different types of polymers, and the production method and ratio of talc content for talc-filled composites in previous works of literature. It is found that the twin-screw extrusion process is commonly adopted for many studies. It is confirmed that talc can improve stiffness, crystallization, thermal stability and modify the viscosity behavior of different polymers, but high talc content would reduce the impact strength and strain at break.