Photocurable Sol–Gel Formulations for the Fabrication of Titanium Carbide/Carbon Nanocomposites via Digital Light Processing

Additive manufacturing of carbide materials has received significant attention in the past years due to the ability to fabricate complex structures over different length scales. However, the typical limitations for powder-laden inks, such as nozzle clogging, rheological and geometric constraints, particle sedimentation, light-scattering and absorbing phenomena, narrow the range of available processes to manufacture carbide materials via conventional particle-based systems. To address these shortcomings, we have developed a one-pot synthetic route for the preparation of sol-gel-based UV-photocurable formulations, aiming at the fabrication of titanium carbide/carbon nanocomposites using digital light processing printing, pointing to potential applications in the field of nuclear physics. Carbides have attracted increasing interest as a target material for the production of radioisotopes in the ISOL facilities; however, the release of radioisotopes strictly relies on the presence of open porous structures, thus enhancing the diffusion and effusion phenomena from the target component. Through our approach, we have successfully fabricated hierarchical porous structures of TiC with a high specific surface area. By controlling the positioning of the building blocks within the framework and the supramolecular interactions during the polymerization of the molecular precursors, we achieved multiscale structuring of the network with precise control over the local arrangement of the pores.