Additive manufacturing of black zirconia ceramic TPMS structures with superior physico-mechanical and optical properties

Ceramic additive manufacturing (AM) enables the production of high-performance components for a wide range of applications, including healthcare, aerospace, and energy. This work aims to examine the microstructural, optical, mechanical, and thermal cycling stability (TCS) of three ceramic oxide structures additively manufactured via fused filament fabrication (FFF). More specifically, ceramic structures made of black-colored zirconia (ZrO 2 ) and white-colored pure alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) bulk and triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) are fabricated and compared with the previously reported 3D-printed alumina composite (CuO/Al 2 O 3 ) counterpart for performance evaluation. Overall, ZrO 2 demonstrated markedly higher optical absorptance (∼89%) compared to Al 2 O 3 (∼31%). It also exhibited a significantly higher compressive strength (∼1296 MPa) than Al 2 O 3 (∼240 MPa). The microstructural analysis of ZrO 2 revealed finer grains and better densification than its counterparts, which contributed to its superior mechanical properties. Among the gyroid, diamond, and primitive lattices, the latter exhibited the highest mechanical performance, consistent with the results of finite element analysis (FEA). Our findings highlight the potential of complex-shaped ZrO 2 structures for advanced solar energy conversion and other high-performance applications.