Ceramic 3D printing is an interesting topic in the industry. Different 3D printing processes have been developed for ceramic applications in various fields. However, ceramic 3D printing technology is not as mature as metal and polymer printing, and it is mostly limited to oxide ceramics.
Non-oxide ceramics (carbides, nitrides, and borides) have great properties, such as high thermal and electrical conductivity, and can withstand high temperatures, chemicals, radiation, stress, and wear. Ultra-high temperature ceramics in this category have the highest melting point among binary compounds (over 3000°C) and are thermally and chemically stable in air above 2000°C.
High-temperature carbide ceramics with sub-millimeter resolution, including titanium carbide (TiC) cubes and lattice structures, have been successfully fabricated by researchers. Titanium carbide, similar to tungsten carbide, is a hard refractory ceramic known for its high melting point (3067°C), hardness, exceptional compressive strength, chemical resistance, low friction coefficient, and high electrical and thermal conductivity. This material is commonly employed as a reinforcing component in metal matrix composites.
Two Important Processes
Titanium powder was mixed with phenolic resin and printed into raw blanks using a powder bed laser sintering (SLS) process, during which argon gas was used for protection.
The raw material undergoes in-situ isothermal gas-solid conversion in a methane (CH4) atmosphere, resulting in the formation of ultra-high temperature carbide ceramic TiCx through a two-step reaction. Further processing is required for the synthesis of TiC.
This research presents a viable approach for producing intricate and structured ultra-high-temperature ceramics. The successful implementation of this method is anticipated to enhance the utilization of ultra-high temperature ceramics in rocket propulsion systems and hypersonic thermal protection systems.
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