UV-Curing Assisted Direct Ink Writing of Dense, Crack-Free, and High-Performance Zirconia-Based Composites With Aligned Alumina Platelets.

Additive manufacturing (AM) of high-performance structural ceramic components with comparative strength and toughness as conventionally manufactured ceramics remains challenging. Here, a UV-curing approach is integrated in direct ink writing (DIW), taking advantage from DIW to enable an easy use of high solid-loading pastes and multi-layered materials with compositional changes; while, avoiding drying problems. UV-curable opaque zirconia-based slurries with a solid loading of 51 vol% are developed to fabricate dense and crack-free alumina-toughened zirconia (ATZ) containing 3 wt% alumina platelets.

(Nbx, Zr1-x)4AlC3 MAX Phase Solid Solutions: Processing, Mechanical Properties, and Density Functional Theory Calculations.

The solubility of zirconium (Zr) in the Nb4AlC3 host lattice was investigated by combining the experimental synthesis of (Nbx, Zr1-x)4AlC3 solid solutions with density functional theory calculations. High-purity solid solutions were prepared by reactive hot pressing of NbH0.89, ZrH2, Al, and C starting powder mixtures.