Ceramic materials offer many appealing qualities, including high-temperature stability, environmental resistance, and high strength. But unlike polymers and some metals, ceramic particles don't fuse together when heated. Thus, the few 3D printing techniques that have been developed for ceramics have slow production rates and involve additives that increase the material's tendency to crack.
The researchers were able to improve upon these processes by using silicon- and oxygen-based polymers that, upon polymerisation, trap UV light so that additives aren't needed for the UV curing steps. Once the polymer is printed, the part is heated to a high temperature to burn off the oxygen atoms, thus forming a highly dense and strong silicon carbide product.
Using electron microscopy to analyse the end product, the researchers detected no porosity or surface cracks. Further tests reveal that the ceramic material can withstand temperatures of 1400°C before experiencing cracking and shrinkage. The researchers note that these developments, which is also said to create a more efficient ceramic-production process, hold significant implications for numerous high-temperature applications, such as in hypersonic vehicles and jet engines.
