Filaments of ABS loaded with Neomycin – a supplier to produce surfaces by 3D printing

Filamentos de ABS carregados com Neomicina - um fornecedor para produzir superfícies por impressão 3D

Abstract

The skin of several animals can be affected by bacterial infection, especially in the case of dogs and cats. Among the bacteria that can cause skin and soft tissue infections, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the commonest. Neomycin (NEO) is one of the most used antibiotics to prevent bacterial infections. Due to this cochleotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, their use is topical. Animals infected by these bacteria can potentially contaminate healthy animals and humans. A possible alternative may be the development of surfaces with bactericidal properties where animals, during the treatment phase, can rest without favoring the local proliferation of the bacteria. This work aims to produce, by hot extrusion, filaments of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) with neomycin. ABS is a thermoplastic polymer commonly used in fused deposition modeling (FDM). A mixture of ABS and NEO (1:6% w/w) was extruded, resulting in ABS/neomycin filament with a diameter of 2.4 mm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) showed that the filament might be used for the production of surfaces by 3D printing.