UV-Assisted Additive Manufacturing of SiOC Ceramic Structures for Extreme Environments

Ceramics are quickly becoming favored materials for applications in extreme environments due to their high temperature stability, oxidation and chemical resistance, and high strength. Polymer-derived ceramics have proven to be able to generate ceramic structures with these properties, and high tunability at reduced temperatures and pressures compared to traditional sintering methods. Additionally, this family of ceramic materials can be additively manufactured using extrusion, vat, and hybrid-based methods. In this work, SiOC ceramics derived from photo-curable polysiloxane precursors were shaped using UV-assisted Direct Ink Writing (DIW). The precursor polymer with appropriate rheological properties and UV curing ability was obtained by mixing a commercially available polysiloxane precursor with photo-initiators and modified with nanoparticulate inclusions to improve the printability for DIW. The rheological requirements for the ink and how these requirements are changed with the introduction of UV-assistance is evaluated. The effect of the inclusions on the composition and microstructure are evaluated. The results of selective mechanical properties of these materials are also reported. Finally, the future structural and functional applications, such as for aerospace thermal management systems in extreme environments will be discussed.