3D printing of dense and porous TiO2 structures

Direct foam writing allows the fabrication of highly porous and hierarchical ceramic structures with high specific mechanical properties. This manufacturing technique, however, has mainly used stabilized Al2O3 foam inks. In this work, we pressent a novel foam ink based on TiO2. This ink uses polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a binder and a small amount of zinc as a frothing agent. We used this ink to produce cylindrical foam samples via direct foam writing. The foams had a porosity of up to 65% and a mean pore size of 180 μm, which is significantly larger than previously reported for direct foam writing with Al2O3. The foams were tested in compression and were found to have an elastic modulus of 0.5 GPa and a compressive strength of 12–18 MPa. These mechanical properties are similar to those of porous ceramics produced by conventional manufacturing routes. Therefore, this work represents a step forward by broadening the direct foam writing process to a wider range of porous ceramics.