Direct-write 3D printing of polyimide-silica aerogel composites

WANG Lukai; MEN Jing; FENG Junzong; JIANG Yonggang; FENG Jian

doi:10.13801/j.cnki.fhclxb.20230726.001

Volume 41 Issue 4

Apr. 2024

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WANG Lukai, MEN Jing, FENG Junzong, et al. Direct-write 3D printing of polyimide-silica aerogel composites[J]. Acta Materiae Compositae Sinica, 2024, 41(4): 1879-1889. doi: 10.13801/j.cnki.fhclxb.20230726.001

Citation:

WANG Lukai, MEN Jing, FENG Junzong, et al. Direct-write 3D printing of polyimide-silica aerogel composites[J]. Acta Materiae Compositae Sinica, 2024, 41(4): 1879-1889. doi: 10.13801/j.cnki.fhclxb.20230726.001

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Direct-write 3D printing of polyimide-silica aerogel composites

doi: 10.13801/j.cnki.fhclxb.20230726.001

Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, College of Aerospace Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China

Funds: Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (2023JJ30632)

Received Date: 2023-06-09
Accepted Date: 2023-07-13
Rev Recd Date: 2023-07-04

Available Online: 2023-07-26

Publish Date: 2024-04-15

Abstract

Abstract

The specific geometry has a crucial impact on the function of aerogel materials in application scenarios. However, conventional manufacturing technology remains challenging in the customized shaping of aerogels due to the fragility of aerogels, time-consuming manufacturing cycles, and poor designability of molds. Direct-write 3D printing technology has been applied to achieve the on-demand shaping of aerogels, imparting aerogels with compatible material composition and functional characteristics. In this work, a direct-write 3D printing strategy based on dual-channel intermixing extrusion was proposed to prepare polyimide-silica (OBS) aerogel composites. Benefiting from the efficient fluid diffusion intermixing between inks and catalysts during extrusion processes, chemical imidization solidification can be successfully achieved, and 3D-printed OBS aerogel composites show high structural integrity and high shape fidelity. Depending on the advantages of the spatial assembly of direct-write 3D printing technology, OBS aerogel composites have formed multi-scale morphologies of millimeters, micrometers, and nanometers. In micron scale, the composite structure enables 3D-printed OBS aerogel composites to display excellent mechanical properties (Young's modulus up to 14.4 MPa). Meanwhile, nanoscale pore structure features, such as low density (0.208 g·cm⁻³), high surface area (373 m²·g⁻¹), and concentrated poren diameter distribution (20-30 nm), impart 3D-printed OBS aerogel composites with excellent thermal insulation performance (thermal conductivity as low as 21.25 mW·m⁻¹·K⁻¹). Although our work only focuses on OBS aerogel composites, the successful implementation of this 3D printing strategy would provide guidelines for additive manufacturing of other aerogel composites.
- 3D printing,
- silica,
- polyimide,
- aerogel,
- composite
Long Abstrsct
Innovation Points

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References(39)

References

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