Work

3D‐AJP: Fabrication of Advanced Microarchitected Multimaterial Ceramic Structures via Binder‐Free and Auxiliary‐Free Aerosol Jet 3D Nanoprinting

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Manufacturing of ceramics is challenging due to their low toughness and high hardness. Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been explored to create complex ceramic structures, but current techniques face a tradeoff between precisely controlled feature sizes and high shrinkage at the microscales. Here, we introduce 3D-AJP, a novel freeform ceramic fabrication method that enables highly complex microscale 3D ceramic architectures-such as micropillars, spirals, and lattices-with minimal shrinkage and no auxiliary support. Using a near-binder-free nanoparticle ink in an Aerosol Jet (AJ) 3D printer, our approach precisely controls feature sizes down to 20 µm with aspect ratios up to 30:1. The resulting structures exhibit exceptionally low linear shrinkage of 2-6% upon sintering, spanning five orders of magnitude in length scale. Bi-material 3D architectures (zinc oxide/zirconia, zinc oxide/titania, titania/zirconia) and hybrid ceramics further demonstrate the technique's versatility. We showcase two key applications. First, 3D ceramic photocatalysts improve water purification performance, achieving a 400% increase in photocatalytic efficiency compared to bulk ceramics. Second, we develop a highly sensitive Her2 biomarker sensor for breast cancer detection, achieving a 22-second response time and a record-low detection limit of 0.0193 fm. Our technique will lead to high-performance sensing, filtration, microelectronics packaging, catalysis, and tissue regeneration technologies.

Source: Advanced Science

DOI: 10.1002/advs.202405334

Authors: Chunshan Hu, Sanjida Jahan, Bin Yuan, Rahul Panat

Institution: Carnegie Mellon University

Language: English

Topic: Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies

Subfield: Automotive Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $6,730