Development of Inkjet Printable Formulations Based on Polyorganosilazane and Divinylbenzene.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Ceramic Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Inkjet printing enables precise deposition of functional materials.
• Developing novel ceramic precursors for additive manufacturing is crucial for advanced applications.
• Polyorganosilazane (OPSZ) and divinylbenzene (DVB) offer unique properties for ceramic ink formulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize novel inkjet-printable ink formulations based on OPSZ and DVB.
• To investigate the rheological, structural, and thermal properties of these inks.
• To evaluate the properties of the resulting silicon carbonitride (SiCN) ceramics.

Main Methods:

• Ink formulation with varying OPSZ/DVB ratios.
• Rheological and surface tension measurements.
• Inkjet printing of single layers.
• UV crosslinking and pyrolysis at 1100 °C.
• FTIR spectroscopy for crosslinking analysis.
• Characterization of ceramic yield and electrical properties.

Main Results:

• Formulations exhibited low viscosity (<20 mPa·s) and Newtonian behavior suitable for inkjet printing.
• UV crosslinking via free-radical polymerization of vinyl groups was confirmed.
• Pyrolysis yielded SiCN ceramics with 42-75% ceramic yield.
• Electrical conductivity up to 1.2 S/cm was achieved, attributed to free carbon formation from DVB.

Conclusions:

• OPSZ/DVB based inks are suitable for inkjet printing of SiCN ceramics.
• Ink formulation significantly influences ceramic yield and electrical properties.
• High DVB content promotes electrical conductivity in the final SiCN ceramic material.