Modified polymer derived ceramics for additive manufacturing, additive manufacturing using same, and ceramic bodies manufactured thereby

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12246992-B2
Application number	US-202016835398-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2020
Priority date	Apr 1, 2019
Publication date	Mar 11, 2025
Grant date	Mar 11, 2025

Abstract

Pre-ceramic particle solutions can prepared by a Coordinated-PDC process, a Direct-PDC process or a Coordinated-Direct-PDC process. The pre-ceramic particle solution includes a polymer selected from the group consisting of (i) an organic polymer including a metal or metalloid cation, (ii) a first organometallic polymer and (iii) a second organometallic polymer including a metal or metalloid cation different from a metal in the second organometallic polymer, a plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of (a) a ceramic fuel particle and (b) a moderator particle, a dispersant, and a polymerization initiator. The pre-ceramic particle solution can be supplied to an additive manufacturing process, such as digital light projection, and made into a structure (which is pre-ceramic particle green body) that can then be debinded to form a polymer-derived ceramic sintered body. In some embodiments, the polymer-derived ceramic sintered body is a component or structure for fission reactors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pre-ceramic particle solution, comprising:
an organic polymer of Formula 1:

wherein M + is a metal or metalloid cation functional group selected from the group consisting of Si, Ti, Be, B, U, Hf, Zr, Nb, and Gd and mixtures thereof;
a plurality of fuel particles;
a dispersant; and
a polymerization initiator,
wherein the plurality of fuel particles have a composition including a fissionable material.

2. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 1 , wherein M + is selected from the group consisting of Ti, Be, U, Nb, and Gd and mixtures thereof.

3. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 1 , wherein the fissionable material is uranium oxide, uranium with 10 wt. % molybdenum, or uranium nitride.

4. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 1 , wherein the fissionable material is enriched uranium oxide.

5. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 1 , wherein the polymerization initiator is a photoinitiator.

6. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 5 , wherein the photoinitiator is a UV photoinitiator or an EBeam initiated photoinitiator.

7. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 1 , wherein the metal or metalloid cation is U.

8. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 1 , wherein the metal or metalloid cation is Ti.

9. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 1 , wherein the metal or metalloid cation is Be.

10. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of moderator particles having a composition including beryllium or carbon or mixtures thereof.

11. A pre-ceramic particle green body, comprising:
a matrix of an organic polymer of Formula 1:

wherein M + is a metal or metalloid cation functional group selected from the group consisting of Si, Ti, Be, B, U, Hf, Zr, Nb, and Gd and mixtures thereof; and
a plurality of fuel particles,
wherein the plurality of fuel particles are contained within the matrix, and
wherein the plurality of fuel particles have a composition including a fissionable material.

12. The pre-ceramic particle green body according to claim 11 , wherein M + is selected from the group consisting of Ti, Be, U, Nb, and Gd and mixtures thereof.

13. The pre-ceramic particle green body according to claim 11 , wherein the fissionable material is uranium oxide, uranium with 10 wt. % molybdenum, or uranium nitride.

14. The pre-ceramic particle green body according to claim 11 , wherein the fissionable material is enriched uranium oxide.

15. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 11 , wherein the metal or metalloid cation is U.

16. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 11 , wherein the metal or metalloid cation is Ti.

17. The pre-ceramic particle solution according to claim 11 , wherein the metal or metalloid cation is Be.

18. The pre-ceramic particle green body according to claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of moderator particles,
wherein the plurality of moderator particles are contained within the matrix, and
wherein the plurality of moderator particles have a composition including beryllium or carbon or mixtures thereof.

19. A polymer-derived ceramic sintered body formed by debinding the pre-ceramic particle green body of claim 11 ,
wherein the polymer-derived ceramic sintered body includes:
a matrix of sintered metal or metalloid from the organic polymer including the metal or metalloid as a cation functional group; and
the plurality of fuel particles contained within the matrix.

20. The polymer-derived ceramic sintered body according to claim 19 , wherein M + is selected from the group consisting of Ti, Be, U, Nb, and Gd and mixtures thereof.

21. The polymer-derived ceramic sintered body according to claim 19 , wherein the fissionable material is uranium oxide, uranium with 10 wt. % molybdenum, or uranium nitride.

22. The polymer-derived ceramic sintered body according to claim 19 , wherein the fissionable material is enriched uranium oxide.

23. The polymer-derived ceramic sintered body according to claim 19 , wherein the metal or metalloid cation is U.

24. The polymer-derived ceramic sintered body according to claim 19 , wherein the metal or metalloid cation is Ti.

25. The polymer-derived ceramic sintered body according to claim 19 , wherein the metal or metalloid cation is Be.

26. A polymer-derived ceramic sintered body formed by debinding the pre-ceramic particle green body of claim 18 ,
wherein the polymer-derived ceramic sintered body includes:
a matrix of sintered metal or metalloid from the organic polymer including the metal or metalloid as a cation functional group;
the plurality of fuel particles contained within the matrix; and
the plurality of moderator particles contained within the matrix.

Assignees

• Bwxt Advanced Tech Llc

Inventors

• Fisher Benjamin D
• Salasin John R

Classifications

• C04B35/58014

  based on titanium nitrides, e.g. TiAlON · CPC title

• B29K2509/02

  Ceramics · CPC title

• B29K2105/16

  Fillers · CPC title

• B29C64/135

  the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources · CPC title

• C04B2235/3826

  Silicon carbides · CPC title