{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T19:10:20Z","timestamp":1786475420824,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,27]],"date-time":"2025-10-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761523200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Direcci\u00f3n de Investigaci\u00f3n, Universidad Central del Ecuador","award":["DI-CONV-017-2022"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DI-CONV-017-2022"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Polymers such as PLA, PLA reinforced with carbon fiber (PLA + CF), and PETG are widely employed in utensils, structural components, and biomedical device housings where load-bearing capability and chemical resistance are desirable. This is particularly relevant for reusable applications in which sterilization with hydrogen peroxide (HP) or ethylene oxide (EO) is often required. In this study, the impact of HP and EO sterilization processes on the mechanical, thermal, and structural properties of PLA, PLA + CF, and PETG was evaluated. The mechanical properties assessed included elongation at break, elastic modulus, and tensile strength after sterilization. The thermal properties examined comprised thermal stability and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Additionally, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed to detect potential alterations in functional groups. For PLA, sterilization with HP and EO resulted in a 22% increase in ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and a 21% increase in elastic modulus, accompanied by a noticeable reduction in ductility and the appearance of more brittle fracture surfaces. PLA + CF exhibited greater stability under both sterilization methods due to the reinforcing effect of carbon fibers. In the case of PETG, tensile strength and stiffness remained stable; however, HP sterilization led to a remarkable increase in elongation at break (294%), whereas EO sterilization reduced it. Regarding thermal properties, glass transition temperature (Tg) showed variations: PLA presented either an increase or decrease in Tg depending on the sterilization treatment, PLA + CF displayed a Tg reduction after EO sterilization, while PETG exhibited a moderate Tg increase under HP sterilization. CTE decreased at lower temperatures but increased after EO treatment. FTIR analysis revealed only minor chemical modifications induced by sterilization. Overall, HP and EO sterilization can be safely applied to additively manufactured medical components based on these polymers, provided that the structures are not subjected to high mechanical loads and do not require strict dimensional tolerances.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym17212864","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,28]],"date-time":"2025-10-28T13:59:36Z","timestamp":1761659976000},"page":"2864","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Effects of Sterilization Processes with Hydrogen Peroxide and Ethylene Oxide on Commercial 3D-Printed PLA, PLA-FC, and PETG by Fused Deposition Modeling"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0342-643X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jorge Mauricio","family":"Fuentes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Ingenier\u00eda en Dise\u00f1o Industrial e Ingenier\u00eda Mec\u00e1nica, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170521, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-9743-373X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Homero","family":"Cadena","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ingenier\u00eda en Dise\u00f1o Industrial e Ingenier\u00eda Mec\u00e1nica, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170521, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6863-4104","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abel","family":"Remache","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ingenier\u00eda en Dise\u00f1o Industrial e Ingenier\u00eda Mec\u00e1nica, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170521, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3455-5982","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Omar","family":"Flor-Unda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ingenier\u00eda Industrial, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas, Quito 170125, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-8692-5487","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Santiago","family":"Sarria","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ingenier\u00eda en Dise\u00f1o Industrial e Ingenier\u00eda Mec\u00e1nica, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170521, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-0451-5246","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jonathan","family":"Delgado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ingenier\u00eda en Dise\u00f1o Industrial e Ingenier\u00eda Mec\u00e1nica, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170521, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1371-1920","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pablo","family":"Bonilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ingenier\u00eda en Dise\u00f1o Industrial e Ingenier\u00eda Mec\u00e1nica, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170521, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7137-9298","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Santiago","family":"Ferr\u00e1ndiz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Ingenier\u00eda Mec\u00e1nica y de Materiales, Instituto de Tecnolog\u00eda de Materiales, Universitat Polit\u00e9cnica de Val\u00e8ncia, Plaza Ferr\u00e1ndiz y Carbonell s\/n, 03801 Alcoi, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"P\u00e9rez Davila, S., Gonz\u00e1lez Rodr\u00edguez, L., Chiussi, S., Serra, J., and Gonz\u00e1lez, P. 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