Manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) are incorporated as “nanofillers” into consumer products to enhance properties of interest. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are known for their unique properties and have many applications in polymers. However, the release of MWCNTs during the nanoenabled product life cycle is concerning. During the use phase, mechanical stresses can produce fragmented materials containing MNMs. The degree of MNM release, the resulting exposure to these materials, and the potential impacts of their release are active research topics. In this study, we describe methodological improvements to study the abrasion of plastics containing MNMs (nanocomposites) and report on characteristics of abrasion products produced and rates of microplastic production. The abrasion device developed for this work allows for the measurement of power inputs to determine scaled release rates. Abrasion rates for plastics used in 3D printing were found to be 0.27 g/m²/s for the PETG polymer and 0.3 g/m²/s for the 2% MWCNT–PETG nanocomposite. Embedded and protuberant MWCNTs appeared to impact the particle size, shape, hydrophobicity, and surface charge of the microplastics, while the inclusion of MWCNTs had a small effect on microplastic production. Measurements of power input to the abrasion process provided a basis for estimating microplastic production rates for these nanocomposites.

中文翻译：

---

量化用于 3D 打印的 MWCNT 纳米复合材料的机械磨损：CNT 含量对磨损产物和微塑料生产率的影响

人造纳米材料 (MNM) 被作为“纳米填料”掺入消费品中，以增强感兴趣的特性。多壁碳纳米管 (MWCNT) 以其独特的性能而闻名，在聚合物中有许多应用。然而，纳米产品生命周期中 MWCNT 的释放令人担忧。在使用阶段，机械应力会产生含有 MNM 的碎片材料。MNM 释放的程度、由此产生的对这些材料的暴露以及它们释放的潜在影响是活跃的研究课题。在这项研究中，我们描述了研究含有 MNM（纳米复合材料）的塑料磨损的方法改进，并报告了所生产的磨损产品的特性和微塑料的生产率。为这项工作开发的磨损装置允许测量功率输入以确定缩放释放率。发现 3D 打印中使用的塑料的磨损率为 0.27 g/mPETG 聚合物为² /s， 2% MWCNT–PETG 纳米复合材料为0.3 g/m ^{2 /s。}嵌入和突出的 MWCNT 似乎会影响微塑料的粒径、形状、疏水性和表面电荷，而包含 MWCNT 对微塑料的产生影响很小。测量磨损过程的功率输入为估计这些纳米复合材料的微塑料生产率提供了基础。