Session: 17-15-01: Society-Wide Micro/Nano Poster Forum

Paper Number: 99499

99499 - 3d Printed Ceramic Hybrid Structures With High Porosity Using Direct Ink Writing Technology 

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has emerged as an advanced technology with promising applications for multifunctional technologies that can create complex functional 3D structures. Unlike other traditional manufacturing methods, 3D printing can quickly transform computer-aided designs into complex 3D prototypes without wasting excess materials. This is a great way to boost both academic research and industrial production. Among 3D printing technologies, direct ink writing (DIW) stands out as an inclusive technology feasible for a wide selection of materials including polymers, metals, ceramics, and their hybrids. In DIW, a viscoelastic ink is extruded through a deposition nozzle in layer-by-layer to build up scaffolds and other 3D structures on a computer-aided translational stage. Ceramic particles can be mixed with polymer solutions to formulate the ink for DIW, and printed structures can be sintered at high temperature to remove the organic components and generate complex ceramic structures. In biomedical engineering field, DIW printed ceramics can be used to create custom prosthetics and biological scaffolds to promote bone regeneration and improve drug delivery, which has the potential to have a profound impact on the application of biocompatible implants and scaffolds. However, sintering process of printed ink may generate significant porosity because of the removal of organic components and the packing vacancies among ceramic particles, and thereby weaken the ceramic structures. Here, we have studied the effects of different nanomaterial sizes on the density, porosity, and mechanical properties of DIW printed ceramics through unique ink formulation design. We use polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and different sizes of SiO₂ nanoparticles as a demonstration system and the printed samples are sintered at high temperature to convert the ink to porous ceramics. As concluded from the SEM images of the printed objects, SiO₂ nanoparticles can be evenly dispersed on the surface of the sample, which is because of shear strain on the inorganic filler in the ink during the 3D printing process and the good compatibility between PDMS and SiO₂ nanoparticles. In addition, the surface of ceramic is evenly distributed with pores in the range of 80-1000 nm in diameter. Our results also show that the density, porosity, and mechanical properties of 3D printed ceramics can be controlled by the size and content of nanoparticles in the ink. This research contributes to the fundamental understanding of structure-property relationships in complex 3D printing systems and will provide a guideline for the further development of inorganic non-metallic materials in 3D printing and applications in future energy storage, carbon capture and medical devices.

Presenting Author: Yun Li Villanova University

Presenting Author Biography: PhD student, Hybrid Nano-Architectures and Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory, Villanova University

Authors:

Yun Li Villanova University
Bo Li Villanova University