METHODS OF MAKING ARTICLES INCLUDING INKJET PRINTING SOLS CONTAINING METAL OXIDE NANOPARTICLES

• Main Authors: HUGHES, Gareth A, JAHNS, Michael, KORTEN, Malte, LACKEY, Melissa A, GOETZINGER, Martin, BARTOW, Jeffrey N
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 12.09.2024
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS, SLAG, OR MIXTURESCONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER; TRANSPORTING; WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE

The present disclosure provides a method of making a three-dimensional article. The method includes a) inkjetting a sol through a nozzle having a diameter of 10 to 70 micrometers to form droplets of printed sol; b) solidifying the printed sol to form a portion of the three-dimensional article; and c) repeating steps a) and b) to form the three-dimensional article having a specified geometry. The sol includes i) 5 to 40 percent by volume of metal oxide particles, based on the total volume of the sol; ii) a solvent; iii) a surface modifying agent; and iv) optionally a polymerizable component. The metal oxide particles have an average particle size of 20 nanometers or less and of 1/100 to 1/10,000 of a diameter of the nozzle. The method enables high resolution additive manufacturing of an object having differences in one or more optical or mechanical property over a small area or volume of the object.