In this study, we investigated the digital light processing (DLP) of high-resolution 3D Kagome scaffolds with a theoretical total porosity of approximate to 82%, using UV curable slurries based on 45S5 (45SiO2-24.5Na2O-24.5CaO-6P2O5 wt.%) and boron-cobalt co-substituted 45S5 bioactive glass (co-BG). As a proof of concept, Kagome scaffolds were fabricated on a desktop DLP printer with a layer thickness of 10 & micro;m. Despite the dark-blue coloration introduced by cobalt, the penetration depth of co-BG slurry was sufficient for effective photopolymerization at 385 nm, without requiring prolonged exposure. Following low-temperature sintering, both base 45S5 and co-BG samples exhibited in vitro bioactivity after 14 days in simulated body fluid. However, co-BG exhibited a slower apatite-formation rate, attributed to cobalt incorporation. Overall, this study demonstrates that DLP processing of co-BG is feasible and that optical absorption challenges caused by cobalt can be mitigated through optimization of printing parameters rather than altering glass composition.

The advancement of all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs) necessitates the development of high-performance solid electrolytes that can meet stringent requirements for ionic conductivity, chemical stability, and structural integrity. This study focuses on the design and fabrication of 3D-customized ceramic-based solid electrolytes using Vat Photopolymerization (VPP) 3D printing, with a specific emphasis on tantalum-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO). LLZO, known for its superior ionic conductivity, chemical stability, and inherent safety, is an ideal candidate for next-generation battery technologies. The 3D-printed tantalum-doped LLZO electrolytes were engineered to integrate a porous structure for facilitating lithium-ion transport and a non-porous structure to ensure effective ion conduction and mechanical stability. Through the optimization of debinding and sintering processes, the printed electrolytes achieved high density and a refined microstructure, critical factors for enhancing electrochemical performance. Structural and morphological analyses using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed phase purity and detailed microstructural features, respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) demonstrated a significant ionic conductivity of 3.15 x 10-5 S cm-1, highlighting the potential of these materials for deployment in high-performance ASSLBs. The results underscore the feasibility of VPP 3D printing as a transformative approach for fabricating complex, high-performance solid electrolytes tailored to the demanding specifications of next-generation energy storage systems.

Digital Light Processing (DLP) enables intricate ceramic part production from photosensitive ceramic slurry. While ZrO2 and Al2O3 are commonly studied, their composites are underexplored despite diverse applications. This study investigates fabricating high-strength, fully dense alumina-toughened zirconia (ATZ) parts using a low-cost desktop DLP printer designed for polymer printing. Various ATZ-based ceramic slurries (30, 35, 42.5 vol%) with different binders and dispersants were prepared and evaluated for curing and rheological properties. Promising formulations underwent debinding and sintering, resulting in homogenous microstructures with a well-distributed blend of the two phases. For the doped samples, SEM analysis revealed a good distribution of dopants and elongated dopant grains infused at higher temperatures. The 35 vol% ATZ exhibited exceptional average flexural strength of 1321 MPa, surpassing previous DLP-fabricated composites. This suggests no need for increased solid loading content. The findings demonstrate the potential of DLP in producing high-performance ceramic parts with tailored properties.

An inorganic solid electrolyte is the most favorable candidate for replacing flammable liquid electrolytes in lithium batteries. Lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO) is considered a promising solid electrolyte due to its safe operating potential window (0–5 V) combined with its good electrochemical stability. In this work, 250 g batches of pre-sintered Ta-doped LLZO (Li7La3Zr1.6Ta0.4O12, Ta-LLZO) were synthesized for bulk production of a dense LLZO electrolyte. A simple two-step thermal treatment process was developed. The first thermal step at 950 °C initiates nucleation of LLZO, with carefully controlled process parameters such as heating atmosphere, temperature, and dopant concentration. In the second thermal step at 1150 °C, sintered discs were obtained as solid electrolytes, with relative densities of 96%. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the phase purity of the sintered Ta-LLZO disc, and refined data were used to calculate the lattice parameter (12.944 Å). Furthermore, the presence of the Ta dopant in the disc was confirmed through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The ionic and electronic conductivity values of the Ta-LLZO disc were 10−4 S cm−1 and 10−10 S cm−1, respectively. These values confirm that the prepared (Ta-LLZO) discs exhibit ionic conductivity while being electronically insulating, being suitable for use as solid electrolytes with the requisite electrical properties.

DLP 3D printing is one of the additive manufacturing techniques, which allows the fabrication of ceramic parts with a complex shape, precisely controlled internal architecture and fine surface finishing. The method is based on the layer-by-layer solidification of a photosensitive ceramic suspension via UV-light projection followed by debinding of organic components and sintering and generally requires a high solid content of the ceramic filler to achieve good sintered densification. The present article aims to explore the possibility of fabricating high strength, fully dense and semi-translucent zirconia parts with relatively low-loaded UV-curable systems using a low-cost desktop DLP printer designed for printing polymers. For the slurry preparation, tetragonal zirconia powders from three different suppliers were evaluated. It was shown that with 35 vol% of zirconia content slurries, it was possible to fabricate zirconia semi-translucent ceramics with a density of 99.6%. No cracks or pores larger than 1 mu m were observed on the sintered parts. According to ball-on-3-ball mechanical tests per-formed on the 13 x 1 mm discs an average flexural strength of the printed zirconia ceramics was 1566 MPa and a maximum of 1964 MPa could be achieved.

The present article aims to explore the printability of scandia-stabilized zirconia ceramic parts using desktop and low-cost DLP 3D printer. The acrylate-based homogeneous slurries with zirconia powder stabilized by 6 mol.% of Sc2O3 (6ScSZ) and 10 mol.% of Sc2O3 and 1 mol.% of Y2O3 (10Sc1YSZ) were prepared with appropriate rheological and UV-curing properties. In comparison with yttria-stabilized zirconia, slurries filled with 6ScSZ and 10Sc1YSZ powders reviled lower viscosity at the same solid content. The cure depth of the suspensions was suitable to print the objects with 50 μm of layer thickness, good interlayers connection, and surface finishing. No critical defects in ceramics such as cracks or delamination were observed. Both ceramics have the Vickers microhardness value of 11 GPa and the high ionic conductivity up to 0.2 S/сm at 900 °C demonstrating that the DLP is a promising method of fabricating scandia-stabilized zirconia parts as electrolyte material for SOFC application.

The present study deals with the fabrication of light-reflectingmaterials used in pixelated scintillator detectors. For the first time, thereflecting surfaces for pixels of different sizes (from 0.8 to 3.2 mm) wereobtained via a low-cost DLP 3Dprinting technique. The material forthe reflectors was the new composite of transparent ultraviolet light-curedresin and TiO2 as a light-scattering filler. It was observedthat TiO2 showed better performance compare to other pigments suchas BaSO4, hBN or cubic zirconia. The object formation rate was about1 cm per hour with the possibility to produce several parts simultaneously thatsimplifies the wrapping procedure. It was found that the regular groovespattern of the fabricated parts (staircase effect) could increase a lightcollection from a scintillator. The reflective properties of such surfaces werecomparable to conventional reflection coating (e.g., Teflon wrapping).Presented at the 2019 IEEE NSS & MIC conference, Manchester, UK. 14 pages, 12 figures, 1 table. Journal reference: Optical Materials V. 108, October 2020, p. 110393.

The rheological properties of highly concentrated suspensions consisting of nanocrystalline powders of zirconium oxide with monoclinic, tetragonal, and cubic modification (stabilized at molar content of yttrium oxide 4 and 8%) and liquid UV-photocured monomers of different nature were studied. The dynamic viscosity of the suspensions with the highest filling to 32% by volume was equal to 3 Pa · sec at shear rate 10 sec – 1 and of the order of 1 Pa · sec at 100 sec – 1 and 20°C.

Present work considers the first results on rheological and photo-curing behaviour of suspension consisting of nanocrystalline stabilised zirconium dioxide powders (19 - 27 vol. %) and a liquid UV-photosensitive organic monomer. At ambient temperature compositions showed a viscosity of 2.5 and 0.8 Pa×s at 10 and 100 s-1 shear rates, respectively. Printability of these compositions was subsequently investigated by using an stereolithography machine Ember (Autodesk). 3D objects were later sintered in a separate furnace into dense translucent ZrO2 ceramics.

The present study demonstrates the possibility of fabricating zirconia parts with a complex shape and internal architecture using a low-cost stereolithography-based technique. One of the critical steps in ceramics stereolithography is the preparation of a photo-curable slurry with properties that fulfill specific requirements, such as having a low viscosity, high solids loading and appropriate curing characteristics. Slurries with different acrylic monomers and ceramic fillers were studied concerning their rheological and curing behavior. New formulations based on mono- and tri-functional acrylic monomers revealed the following excellent rheological properties: The viscosity of the mono-/tri-acrylate-based slurry with 75 wt.% of zirconia was 1.6 Pa·s at 30 s−1. Zirconia stabilized with 3 mol.% yttria was found to be more favorable than zirconia with 8 mol.% yttria for slurry preparation, because of its lower surface area and higher tapped density. It was shown that the cure depth of the suspensions was suitable for printing objects with a 50 µm layer thickness, good interlayers connection and surface finishing.

La1+xSr1−xCoO4 (x=0; 0.25) and NdCaCoO3.96 compounds with a layered perovskite-like structure synthesized by the solid state method and characterized by XRD, XPS, EDAX and H2-TPR were used as catalyst precursors for the partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas. Catalytic tests were carried out in a quartz flow reactor using a CH4/O2 mixture without dilution with inert gases. The higher activity of the NdCaCoO4±δ-based catalyst in comparison with La1+xSr1−xCoO4 is associated with the easier formation of Nd and Ca oxides and metallic cobalt in the course of NdCaCoO4±δ reduction in the POM environment. Preliminary reduction of the catalysts with hydrogen leads to a significant increase in synthesis gas production at 800–850°С. Different activity and selectivity of NdCaCoO4±δ and La1+xSr1−xCoO4-based catalysts can also be related to the different morphologies of metal-oxide nanocomposites that appear in the course of the reductive decomposition of cobaltates.

Synthesis gas production by partial oxidation of methane (POM) (CH4/O-2 = 1.8-4.5/1) at 850-960 degrees C over NdCaCoO3.96 was investigated using a fixed bed flow-type reactor. The NdCaCoO3.96-derived catalyst demonstrated conversion of CH4 and O-2 up to 90% while CO and H-2 selectivities were over 90% at a H-2/CO ratio similar to 2. The decomposition of NdCaCoO3.96 at POM conditions results in the formation of finely dispersed Nd2O3, CaO, cobalt oxides and cobalt metal. The as-prepared catalyst exhibited excellent stability of the catalytic properties, and no activity decrease was observed for 140 h of reaction. Synthesis gas formation was accompanied by carbon deposition on the catalyst. However, this process has little or no influence on the catalytic properties of the material. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nd2 − x Ca x CoO4 ± δ-based materials demonstrated high effectiveness in partial methane oxidation into synthesis gas with almost 100% selectivity. It has been determined that Nd2 − x Ca x CoO4 ± δ materials synthesized via the solid-state or cryochemical methods are single-phase in the range of 0.6 ≤ x ≤ 1 at a synthesis temperatures of 1100–1200°C. Synthesis at t ≤ 1100°C allows to prepare solid solutions in the range of 0.9 < x < 1.05.

The synthesis of Nd2−xCaxCoO4±δ at T=900–1200°C in air at atmospheric pressure was performed by solid state synthesis and freeze drying synthesis methods. Single phase solid solutions were observed at 0.6≤x≤1 and T=1200°C. At T<1100°C the range of solid solutions formation was drastically reduced to 0.9<x<1.05. Exact position of solid solution domain boundaries is varied with synthesis method that points to the exceptional influence of kinetic factors on the phase formation processes.

A number of Ni-TUD-1 amorphous materials with different content of Ni (from 0 to 10wt%) was synthesized. The materials activity in dry reforming of methane (DRM) was compared and the optimal amount of Ni in the catalyst was evaluated. A Ni content of 3wt% in the amorphous silicate matrix of TUD-1 structure was chosen as the most active amongst the synthesized materials. The materials were tested in DRM both with argon dilution (different amount of diluting gas) and without diluting gas. It was shown that Ni-TUD-1 catalytic materials could be used in biogas reforming process in real conditions. The reaction outgas of the biogas (model mixture of 35mol% CO2 and 75mol% CH4) reforming test at 750°C was composed of 20vol% of H2. In general, it was shown that TUD-1 materials could be promising supports for Ni allowing its high dispersion in the silicate matrix. The same amorphous porous matrix was found to insure the stability of the Ni-TUD-1 catalysts to carbon deposition.