Search for: All records

Understanding the mechanical properties of three-dimensional (3D)-printed ceramics while keeping the parts intact is crucial for advancing their application in high-performance and biocompatible fields, such as biomedical and aerospace engineering. This study uses non-destructive nanoindentation techniques to investigate the mechanical performance of 3D-printed zirconia across pre-conditioned and sintered states. Vat photopolymerization-based additive manufacturing (AM) was employed to fabricate zirconia samples. The structural and mechanical properties of the printed zirconia samples were explored, focusing on hardness and elastic modulus variations influenced by printing orientation and post-processing conditions. Nanoindentation data, analyzed using the Oliver and Pharr method, provided insights into the elastic and plastic responses of the material, showing the highest hardness and elastic modulus in the 0° print orientation. The microstructural analysis, conducted via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), illustrated notable changes in grain size and porosity, emphasizing the influencing of the printing orientation and thermal treatment on material properties. This research uniquely investigates zirconia’s mechanical evolution at the nanoscale across different processing stages—pre-conditioned and sintered—using nanoindentation. Unlike prior studies, which have focused on bulk mechanical properties post-sintering, this work elucidates how nano-mechanical behavior develops throughout additive manufacturing, bridging critical knowledge gaps in material performance optimization. 

Recently, the manufacturing of porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with engineered porosity has gained considerable interest due to its tunable material properties and diverse applications. An innovative approach to control the porosity of PDMS is to use transient liquid phase water to improve its mechanical properties, which has been explored in this work. Adjusting the ratios of deionized water to the PDMS precursor during blending and subsequent curing processes allows for controlled porosity, yielding water emulsion foam with tailored properties. The PDMS-to-water weight ratios were engineered ranging from 100:0 to 10:90, with the 65:35 specimen exhibiting the best mechanical properties with a Young’s Modulus of 1.17 MPa, energy absorption of 0.33 MPa, and compressive strength of 3.50 MPa. This led to a porous sample exhibiting a 31.46% increase in the modulus of elasticity over a bulk PDMS sample. Dowsil SE 1700 was then added, improving the storage capabilities of the precursor. The optimal storage temperature was probed, with −60 °C resulting in great pore stability throughout a three-week duration. The possibility of using these water emulsion foams for paste extrusion additive manufacturing (AM) was also analyzed by implementing a rheological modifier, fumed silica. Fumed silica’s impact on viscosity was examined, revealing that 9 wt% of silica demonstrates optimal rheological behaviors for AM, bearing a viscosity of 10,290 Pa·s while demonstrating shear-thinning and thixotropic behavior. This study suggests that water can be used as pore-formers for PDMS in conjunction with AM to produce engineered materials and structures for aerospace, medical, and defense industries as sensors, microfluidic devices, and lightweight structures. 

The integration of 3D printed sensors into hosting structures has become a growing area of research due to simplified assembly procedures, reduced system complexity, and lower fabrication cost. Embedding 3D printed sensors into structures or bonding the sensors on surfaces are the two techniques for the integration of sensors. This review extensively discusses the fabrication of sensors through different additive manufacturing techniques. Various additive manufacturing techniques dedicated to manufacture sensors as well as their integration techniques during the manufacturing process will be discussed. This review will also discuss the basic sensing mechanisms of integrated sensors and their applications. It has been proven that integrating 3D printed sensors into infrastructures can open new possibilities for research and development in additive manufacturing and sensor materials for smart goods and the Internet of Things. 

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.