Session: 02-01 Ceramics

Paper Number: 96615

96615 - Additive Manufacturing of Thermoset Nanocomposites 

 Additive manufacturing (AM) capable of handling lightweight and energy-efficient composites with great design flexibility offers great opportunities for manufacturing of advancing composite using multiscale carbon. However, there have been few AM techniques reported to process carbon composites with thermoset matrix. Herein, we report a rapid, cost-effective and near net-shape manufacturing strategy that enables the manufacture of 3D scaffold from carbon materials and further builds into carbon/thermoset composites. It can realize large scale fabrication of sophisticated components (like hollow structure and overhanging components) from diverse carbon materials, including nanomaterial (0D carbon black, 1D nanotube, 2D graphene and 3D graphite) and micro-material (virgin or recycled carbon fiber), in combination with tailored property by controllable alignment of additives in the composites. Our processing strategy provides a rapid processing route capable of cost-efficiency and structure scalability of structural carbon composite manufacturing.

In my talk, I will introduce our recent work on additive manufacturing of three-dimensional carbon-based multiscale architectures, and demonstrate its applications in electrochemical energy storage. Our method will retain the properties of carbon nanomaterials and there no additional binder or polymer in the final 3D components. We have demonstrated that carbon nanomaterials, including 0D carbon nanopowders, 1D carbon nanotubes, and 2D graphene, could be all processed into complex three-dimensional multiscale carbon architectures. Particularly, 3D carbon nanotubes structures show record-high compression stress compared to all reported carbon nanotubes sponges and structure. Beyond, carbon architectures, ceramics and metals architectures have been demonstrated by conformally coating ceramics or metals. These carbon nanomaterials serve as sacrificial template to anchor ceramic and metal deposition, and then could be pyrolyzed at high temperature in air. The ceramic and metal multiscale architectures could be retained with the same architectures of carbon structure.  In addition, our additive manufacturing method could join components with different carbon materials and architectures together. Our method provides a scalable and cost-effective manufacturing way to fabricate complex multiscale architectures.

Presenting Author: Kun Fu University of Delaware

Presenting Author Biography: Kelvin Fu is an assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware and affiliated faculty in the Center for Composite Materials (CCM). Fu is the elected member of ASME Aerospace Division Structures and Materials Technical Committee, and member of editorial board in the journal of Composites Part B. Fu directs Composites & Additive Manufacturing (CAM) Laboratory at UD and his research is focused on Materials and Manufacturing Innovation in multiscale composite design, manufacturing, and applications. Fu is the co-founder of CarbonForm Inc. and his world-first fiber/thermoset composite 3D printing technology has received Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE) in Manufacturing: Equipment and Tooling Innovation Award by American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA). Fu is the recipient of 2022 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Sandra L. Bouckley Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, 2021 MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35 China, 2021 ACS Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Young Investigator by American Chemical Society (ACS), ASC Young Composites Researcher Award by American Society for Composites (ASC), and SAMPE Young Professionals Emerging Leadership Award. Fu has published over 120 peer-reviewed articles with citations over 13000 times.

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