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1. Additive Manufacturing of Porous Ceramics With Foaming Agent

   https://doi.org/10.1115/MSEC2021-63493  

   Guo, Zipeng; An, Lu; Lakshmanan, Sushil; Armstrong, Jason N.; Ren, Shenqiang; Zhou, Chi (June 2021, ASME 2021 16th International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference)

   Abstract The macro-porous ceramics has promising durability and thermal insulation performances. A cost-effective and scalable additive manufacturing technique for the fabrication of macro-porous ceramics, with a facile approach to control the printed porosity is reported in the paper. Several ceramic inks were prepared, the foaming agent was used to generate gaseous bubbles in the ink, followed by the direct ink writing and the ambient-pressure and room-temperature drying to create the three-dimensional geometries. The experimental studies were performed to optimize the printing quality. A set of studies revealed the optimal printing process parameters for printing the foamed ceramic ink with a high spatial resolution and fine surface quality. Varying the concentration of the foaming agent enabled the controllability of the structural porosity. The maximum porosity can reach 85%, with a crack-free internal porous structure. The tensile tests showed that the printed macro-porous ceramics have enhanced durability with the addition of fiber. With a high-fidelity 3D printing process and precise control of the porosity, the printed samples exhibited a low thermal conductivity and high mechanical strength. 

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2. Digital Light Processing 3D‐Printed Porous Yttria‐Stabilized Zirconia with High‐Thermal Shock Resistance

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202400206  

   Khakzad, Moein; Mosadegh, Mahdi; Sepasi, Zahra; Mehrdad, Ehsan; Alsup, Zachary; Minary‐Jolandan, Majid (September 2024, Advanced Engineering Materials)

   Advances in vat photopolymerization 3D printing have the potential to significantly improve the production of ceramic materials for electrochemical energy devices. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) necessitate high‐resolution ceramic manufacturing methods, as well as precisely controlled porosity (≈20–40%) for optimal gas transport. Achieving a balance between this porosity and mechanical integrity, especially under thermal stress, remains a challenge. Herein, the successful fabrication of porous yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramics using vat photopolymerization 3D printing is demonstrated, achieving porosities ranging from 6% to 40% and corresponding grain sizes of ≈80–550 nm. It is found that 3D‐printed YSZ with ≈33% porosity exhibited a Weibull modulus ofm = 5.3 and a characteristic strength of over 36 MPa. In the investigation, it is further revealed that these ceramics can withstand thermal shock up to 500 °C, retaining over 70% of their flexural strength. This remarkable performance suggests significant potential for 3D‐printed porous YSZ in SOFCs and SOECs, paving the way for potential improved efficiency, reduced fabrication costs, and innovative designs in these next‐generation clean energy technologies. 

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3. Additive manufacturing of textured barium titanate ceramics via shear force‐induced platelet alignment

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ces2.70003  

   Lopez, Alexis; Rodriguez, Luis; Rodriguez, Aaron; Arroyo, Sabina; Loera, Alan; Fontes, Diana; Perez, Sofia; Mahmud, Md_Shahjahan; Molina, Laura; Zaman, Saqlain; et al (February 2025, International Journal of Ceramic Engineering & Science)

   Abstract This study explores the potential of single crystal barium titanate (BTO) platelets to fabricate nontoxic ceramics with enhanced material properties through texturization of grain structure. The proposed methodology relies on direct ink write additive manufacturing to enable grain‐oriented growth of BTO ceramics by utilizing a combination of spherical and platelet‐shaped particles. The use of platelet‐shaped particles in the ceramic ink guides particle alignment parallel to the build plate due to shear forces at the nozzle during the printing process. While platelet contents ranging from 0 to 40 wt.% showed a decrease in density as the content increased, experimental data revealed an incremental trend between platelet content, dielectric properties, and the degree of alignment of the particles on the F200 crystal plane, achieving a maximum texturized orientation of 65%. Such orientation resulted in 29.55% improved dielectric properties compared with randomly oriented BTO ceramic. The findings of this research validate the effectiveness of additive manufacturing technologies to tailor the microstructural characteristics of ceramics for specific functional applications. 

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4. Additive manufacturing of high‐density silicon carbide ceramics through post‐processing spark plasma sintering

   https://doi.org/10.1111/ijac.15167  

   Xiang, Yuhui; Doran, Spencer; Chang, Tzu‐Yi; Wang, Zexiao; Sangkagoon, Smitanan; Yeung, Yun; Xue, Fei; Cheng, Tian‐Le; Zhao, Dong; Lian, Jie; et al (May 2025, International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology)

   Abstract This research advances the field of additive manufacturing (AM) of silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics by integrating spark plasma sintering (SPS) to enhance material density, mechanical strength, and thermal properties. Traditional AM techniques struggle to achieve the high‐density SiC required for demanding applications, such as aerospace engineering, where high thermal conductivity and mechanical strength are paramount. Our study addresses these challenges by incorporating SPS as a post‐processing step, achieving near‐theoretical maximum densities and significantly reducing porosity, thereby resulting in outstanding thermal conductivity in SiC ceramics. We developed a specialized SiC ink optimized for 3D printing, ensuring structural integrity after deposition through tailored rheological properties. The application of SPS facilitates rapid, uniform sintering, essential for attaining superior density, mechanical properties, and thermal performance. Our experimental results, confirmed through scanning electron microscopy analysis, demonstrate significant microstructural properties, mechanical strength, and thermal conductivity, showcasing the effectiveness of integrating SPS in AM processes. This innovative approach not only expands the capabilities of AM in producing complex, high‐density ceramic structures but also broadens the potential applications of SiC in demanding environments. 

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5. Cost-Effective Additive Manufacturing of Ambient Pressure-dried Silica Aerogel

   https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4048740  

   Guo, Zipeng; Yang, Ruizhe; Wang, Tianjiao; An, Lu; Ren, Shenqiang; Zhou, Chi (January 2021, Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract The conventional manufacturing processes of aerogel insulation material is largely relying on the supercritical drying, which suffers from issues of massive energy consumption, high-cost equipment, and prolonged processing time. With the consideration of large market demand of the aerogel insulation material in the next decade, a low-cost and scalable fabrication technique is highly desired. In this paper, a direct ink writing (DIW) method is used to three-dimensionally fabricate the silica aerogel insulation material, followed by room-temperature and ambient pressure drying. Compared to the supercritical drying and freeze-drying, the reported method significantly reduces the fabrication time and costs. The cost-effective DIW technique offers the capability to print complex hollow internal structures, coupled with the porous structure, is found to be beneficial to the thermal insulation property. The addition of fiber to the ink assures the durability of the fabricated product, without sacrificing the thermal insulation performance. The foam ink preparation methods and the printability are demonstrated in this paper, along with the printing of complex three-dimensional geometries. The thermal insulation performance of the printed objects is characterized, and the mechanical properties are also examined. The proposed approach is found to have 56% reduction in the processing time. The printed silica aerogels exhibit a low thermal conductivity of 0.053 W m−1 K−1. 

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