Additive micro-manufacturing of crack-free PDCs by two-photon polymerization of a single, low-shrinkage preceramic resin

Additive manufacturing (AM) methods are being integrated in ceramics fabrication either as the main manufacturing tool or for auxiliary purposes. By using polymers, powders and preceramic formulated materials, AM techniques are pushing towards higher resolution, lower shrinkage and shorter building time. Herein, we present the fabrication of ceramic microstructures (< 200 × 200 × 200 μm3) with sub-micrometer resolution based on two-photon polymerization (TPP). 3D structuring of a preceramic resin by photopolymerization produces a so-called green body. The final ceramic part is obtained after pyrolysis of the green body. The high-resolution 3D shaped structures that we demonstrated could be employed as tools or components for microdevices. We report a lower linear shrinkage of 30% of TPP green bodies from a polysiloxane precursor with low porosity, no cracks and no significant shape distortion after pyrolysis, which implies the potential for highly controllable manufacturing of micro-ceramic parts based on commercially available chemical compounds. The protocol for preparing, fabricating and developing the resin is detailed.