Enhanced Tribological Properties of Nano-TiO₂ Reinforced Polymer Composites Fabricated via Stereolithography

This study assessed the efficiency of nano titanium dioxide (TiO₂) particles as a strengthening agent in polymer composites fabricated through stereolithography (SLA). The uniform dispersion of TiO₂ was confirmed through SEM analyses. The inclusion of 0.25wt% and 0.5wt% TiO₂ particles resulted in a hardness increase of 12.73% and 25.45%, respectively, when compared to the initial hardness of the pure resin baseline, which was 55. The increase in hardness was accompanied by a reduction in the coefficient of friction (COF) from 0.88 for the unfilled resin to 0.71 and 0.64 for the 0.25wt% and 0.5wt% TiO₂ composites, respectively. The wear tests showed a significant improvement in wear resistance, with the 0.5wt% TiO₂ composite displaying the greatest reduction in wear loss under all tested loads. The results suggest that nano TiO₂ particles enhance both the hardness and frictional properties, while also decreasing wear. This highlights their potential as a reinforcing material in high-performance polymer composites.