Volume 136, Issue 23 e202405135
Zuschrift

Additive Manufacturing of Micro-Architected Copper based on an Ion-Exchangeable Hydrogel

Songhua Ma

Songhua Ma

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094 China

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Wuxin Bai

Wuxin Bai

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094 China

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Dajun Xiong

Dajun Xiong

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094 China

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Guibin Shan

Guibin Shan

Herbert Gleiter Institute of Nanoscience, School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094 China

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Zijie Zhao

Corresponding Author

Zijie Zhao

National Key Laboratory of Transient Physics, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094 China

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Wenbin Yi

Corresponding Author

Wenbin Yi

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094 China

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Jieping Wang

Corresponding Author

Jieping Wang

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094 China

State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 China

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First published: 03 April 2024

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) of copper through laser-based processes poses challenges, primarily attributed to the high thermal conductivity and low laser absorptivity of copper powder or wire as the feedstock. Although the use of copper salts in vat photopolymerization-based AM techniques has garnered recent attention, achieving micro-architected copper with high conductivity and density has remained elusive. In this study, we present a facile and efficient process to create complex 3D micro-architected copper structures with superior electrical conductivity and hardness. The process entails the formulation of an ion-exchangeable photoresin, followed by the utilization of digital light processing (DLP) printing to sculpt 3D hydrogel scaffolds, which were transformed into Cu2+-chelated polymer frameworks (Cu-CPFs) with a high loading of Cu2+ ions through ion exchange, followed by debinding and sintering, results in the transformation of Cu-CPFs into miniaturized copper architectures. This methodology represents an efficient pathway for the creation of intricate micro-architected 3D metal structures.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.

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