3D-printed electrically conductive silicon carbide

Abstract

The development of electrically conductive ceramics could achieve robust mechanical strength as well as practically high conductivity, offering applications in structural electrodes, conductors, catalyst supports, etc. However, its operating temperature is limited due to the intrinsic dense structures inevitably hindering the thermal management capability, thus resulting in a temperature-dependent electrical behavior in high-temperature environments. We report an additive manufacturing protocol through vat photopolymerization 3D printing to fabricate the architectured conductive silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics that simultaneously possess high electrical conductivity as well as low thermal conductivity, and demonstrate electric reliability under high-temperature environments above 600°C. The percolation of graphene into the ceramic scaffold establishes a uniform conductive network, exhibiting its electrical conductivity up to 1000 S m−1. The bulk density of the 3D-printed ceramic is measured from 0.366 g cm−3 to 0.897 g cm−3, with thermal conductivity ranging from 62 mW m−1 K−1 to 88 mW m−1 K−1. Furthermore, the mechanical performance of conductive ceramic can be effectively reinforced by densifying the microstructures via spark plasma sintering treatment. The proposed additive manufacturing strategy widens the potential of ceramics as a structural and functional material, offering a promising pathway toward high-temperature electronics applications.