Porous ceramics for additive manufacturing, filtration, and membrane applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020114333-A1
Application number	US-201916706526-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 6, 2019
Priority date	Jun 23, 2017
Publication date	Apr 16, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the presently disclosed inventive concepts, a porous ceramic structure includes a three-dimensional printed structure having predefined features, where the three-dimensional structure has a geometric shape. The average length of the features may be at least 10 microns. The three-dimensional structure includes a ceramic material having an open cell structure with a plurality of pores, where the pores form continuous channels through the ceramic material from one side of the ceramic material to an opposite side of the ceramic material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A product, comprising:
a ceramic material having an open cell structure with a plurality of pores, wherein the pores connect through the ceramic material from one side of the ceramic material to an opposite side of the ceramic material; and an aqueous sorbent solution in the pores of the ceramic material, wherein a portion of the aqueous sorbent solution is retained in the pores by capillary action.

2 . The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ceramic material comprises Y 2 O 3− doped ZrO 2 .

3 . The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein an average diameter of the pores is in a range of about 50 nanometers to about 500 nanometers.

4 . The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein an average diameter of the pores is in a range of about 50 nanometers to about 200 nanometers.

5 . The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein a density of the ceramic material is in a range of about 20% to about 50% of a density of a solid nonporous ceramic form having the same composition as the ceramic material.

6 . The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ceramic material is in a form of a crushed ceramic structure having a plurality of crushed pieces, wherein an average diameter of the plurality of crushed pieces is less than 400 microns.

7 . The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the aqueous sorbent solution is an ionic solution.

8 . The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the aqueous sorbent solution is sodium carbonate having a concentration of about 20 wt % solution at room temperature.

9 . The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ceramic material is nanoporous having nanostructural support for the aqueous sorbent solution.

10 . An ink for three dimensional printing a ceramic material, the ink comprising:
metal oxide nanoparticles and a polymer resin, wherein a concentration of the metal oxide nanoparticles is at least about 50 wt % of a total mass of the ink.

11 . The ink as recited in claim 10 , comprising a cross-linking agent.

12 . The ink as recited in claim 10 , wherein the ink includes metal oxide nanoparticles in a range of about 50 wt % to about 80 wt % of the total mass of the ink.

13 . The ink as recited in claim 10 , wherein a concentration of the metal oxide nanoparticles is about 60 wt % of the total mass of the ink.

14 . The ink as recited in claim 10 , wherein a concentration of the metal oxide nanoparticles is about 70 wt % of the total mass of the ink.

15 . The ink as recited in claim 10 , wherein the metal oxide nanoparticles comprise Y 2 O 3 -doped ZrO 2 .

16 . The ink as recited in claim 15 , wherein the metal oxide nanoparticles comprising Y 2 O 3 -doped ZrO 2 have an average diameter in a range of at least about 20 nanometers to about 600 nanometers.

17 . A method of forming a porous ceramic material, the method comprising:
obtaining an ink, wherein the ink comprises a mixture of metal oxide nanoparticles and a polymer; forming a body from the ink, wherein forming the body comprises an additive manufacturing process with the ink; curing the formed body; and heating the formed body for removing the polymer and for forming a porous ceramic material from the metal oxide nanoparticles.

18 . The method as recited in claim 17 , wherein the porous ceramic material has an open cell structure with a plurality of pores, wherein pores of the ceramic material form continuous channels through the ceramic material from one side of the ceramic material to an opposite side of the ceramic material.

19 . The method as recited in claim 18 , wherein an average diameter of the pores is in a range of about 50 nanometers to about 500 nanometers.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the additive manufacturing process is direct ink writing, wherein the ink is extruded through a nozzle.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein features of the formed body have an average diameter of at least a diameter of the nozzle.

22 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the ink includes a photoinitiator and an inhibitor, wherein the additive manufacturing is projection micro-stereolithography.

23 . The method as recited in claim 22 , wherein features of the formed body have an average length of at least about ten microns.

24 . The method as recited in claim 19 , wherein the formed body is a free standing porous structure, wherein the formed body has an average diameter of greater than one centimeter.

25 . A method for separating gases with a system of porous ceramic material and an aqueous sorbent, the method comprising:
infilling a porous ceramic material in a sorbent solution; placing the infilled porous ceramic material in a container, wherein the container contains a known pressure of a gas; measuring an absorbance of the gas in the porous ceramic material, wherein the ceramic material is infilled with the sorbent solution; and heating the porous ceramic material with CO 2 absorbed in the sorbent for releasing the CO 2 from the sorbent and regenerating the system of porous ceramic material and the sorbent.

26 . The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein the ceramic material is a plurality of crushed pieces porous ceramic structure, wherein each of the crushed pieces have an average diameter of about 400 microns or smaller.

27 . The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein the sorbent solution is an ionic liquid.

28 . The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein the sorbent solution is an aqueous sorbent solution.

29 . The method as recited in claim 28 , wherein the aqueous sorbent solution comprises sodium carbonate.

30 . The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein the absorbed gas is carbon dioxide.

31 . The method as recited in claim 25 , where a temperature of the method is about room temperature.

32 . The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein the absorbance of the gas in the infilled porous ceramic material is measured in terms of a pressure change of the gas in the container.

33 . The method as recited in claim 25 , comprising, heating the infilled porous ceramic material for desorption of absorbed gas, wherein the sorbent solution is regenerated for a second absorption of gas.

34 . The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein the porous ceramic material is a plurality of porous ceramic disks.

35 . The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein the porous ceramic material is plurality of shaped structures having a uniform shape, wherein the shaped structures are packed in an absorbance bed.

36 . A porous ceramic structure comprising:
a three-dimensional printed structure having predefined features, wherein the three-dimensional printed structure has a geometric shape, wherein an average length of the features is at least 10 microns, wherein the three-dimensional structure comprises a ceramic material having an open cell structure with a plurality of pores, wherein the pores form continuous channels through the ceramic material from one side of the ceramic material to an opposite side of the ceramic material.

37 . A filtration medium comprising the porous ceramic structure as recited in claim 36 .

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Campbell Patrick
• Baker Sarah
• Hernandez Maira Ceron
• Knipe Jennifer Marie
• Stolaroff Joshuah K

Classifications

• B33Y70/10

  Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B01J20/3483

  by thermal treatment not covered by groups B01J20/3441 - B01J20/3475, e.g. by heating or cooling · CPC title

• B01D53/80

  Semi-solid phase processes, i.e. by using slurries · CPC title

• B01D2251/606

  Carbonates · CPC title