Material Synthesis and Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics
Abstract
This research is divided into two main topics: vitrimer polymers and alumina ceramics. Additive manufacturing is an emerging technology. In this research, two main methods of additive manufacturing are used: material extrusion and vat photopolymerization. The hypothesis of self-healing and mechanochromism functionalities was tested through the synthesis of vitrimers, a novel material combining properties of both thermosets and thermoplastics. These vitrimers were 3D printed using material extrusion. Casted vitrimers showed stiffening effects after submergence in water. Lithography based ceramics have gained attention in recent years due to their wide range of applications. Alumina ceramics were additively manufactured using digital light processing. Sintering of parts showed a shrinkage of 14%. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed a dense microstructure. Density proved to be 3.82 g/cm³, achieving about 99% of theoretical density. Additional research was conducted reducing graphene oxide to have similar properties to graphene, which was then used in a commercial resin to 3D print plastic parts using stereolithography.
Subject Area
Mechanical engineering|Materials science|Polymer chemistry
Recommended Citation
Bramasco-Rivera, Elsa, "Material Synthesis and Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics" (2022). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI29211576.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI29211576