Additive manufacturing of polymer-derived ceramics

TLDR

Ceramics’ high melting points and resistance to casting or machining make additive manufacturing challenging, yet 3D printing offers unprecedented geometrical flexibility and is attractive for propulsion, thermal protection, porous burners, MEMS, and electronic packaging. The study reports UV‑curable preceramic monomers that, when processed in a stereolithography printer or patterned mask, produce complex‑shaped 3D polymer structures. UV‑curable preceramic polymers are fabricated via stereolithography or patterned masking and then pyrolyzed, producing ceramics with uniform shrinkage and virtually no porosity. Silicon oxycarbide microlattice and honeycomb cellular materials produced by this method show higher strength than comparable ceramic foams.

Abstract

The extremely high melting point of many ceramics adds challenges to additive manufacturing as compared with metals and polymers. Because ceramics cannot be cast or machined easily, three-dimensional (3D) printing enables a big leap in geometrical flexibility. We report preceramic monomers that are cured with ultraviolet light in a stereolithography 3D printer or through a patterned mask, forming 3D polymer structures that can have complex shape and cellular architecture. These polymer structures can be pyrolyzed to a ceramic with uniform shrinkage and virtually no porosity. Silicon oxycarbide microlattice and honeycomb cellular materials fabricated with this approach exhibit higher strength than ceramic foams of similar density. Additive manufacturing of such materials is of interest for propulsion components, thermal protection systems, porous burners, microelectromechanical systems, and electronic device packaging.