Wei Zhai1,Xinwei Li1,Guanjin Li1,Kian Lim1
National University of Singapore1
Wei Zhai1,Xinwei Li1,Guanjin Li1,Kian Lim1
National University of Singapore1
The advent of advanced manufacturing technologies brings about the possibilities of novel materials with potentially unprecedented material properties. Through ultrasound-assisted directed self-assembly digital light processing, we present a novel class of composite – the discontinuous interpenetrating-phase com- posite (d-IPC) – where the cellular filler phase is based on lines of particle assemblies, as opposed to continuous materials. Through yttria particle doping, we fully illustrate the unique microstructural-specific mechanical properties of the d-IPC. Despite being fully bulk and having a similar density (1.18 g/cm3 ) and strength (68 MPa) as the matrix polymer, it presents an additional plateau-deformation behaviour under large compressive strains and hence a 218% increase in specific energy absorption up to 37 J/g. The enabling mechanism is derived from the peculiar discontinuous and macroscopically aligned particle-based struts which do not contribute to a notable diminution of strength but can yet modulate high-strain deformation via induction of progressive localized failures. The concept of d-IPC is also extendable to solid fillers of all materials, morphology, and reasonable sizes, allowing the d-IPC to be highly customizable with multifunctional potentials. Through this work, we also aim to demonstrate the potential of using advanced microstructural-controllable manufacturing techniques to achieve conceptually new and advanced composite materials.