Additive manufacturing of strong silica sand structures enabled by polyethyleneimine binder

Dustin B. Gilmer, Lu Han, Michelle L. Lehmann, Derek H. Siddel, Guang Yang, Azhad U. Chowdhury, Benjamin Doughty, Amy M. Elliott () and Tomonori Saito ()
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Dustin B. Gilmer: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Lu Han: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Michelle L. Lehmann: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Derek H. Siddel: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Guang Yang: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Azhad U. Chowdhury: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Benjamin Doughty: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Amy M. Elliott: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Tomonori Saito: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Binder Jet Additive Manufacturing (BJAM) is a versatile AM technique that can form parts from a variety of powdered materials including metals, ceramics, and polymers. BJAM utilizes inkjet printing to selectively bind these powder particles together to form complex geometries. Adoption of BJAM has been limited due to its inability to form strong green parts using conventional binders. We report the discovery of a versatile polyethyleneimine (PEI) binder for silica sand that doubled the flexural strength of parts to 6.28 MPa compared with that of the conventional binder, making it stronger than unreinforced concrete (~4.5 MPa) in flexural loading. Furthermore, we demonstrate that PEI in the printed parts can be reacted with ethyl cyanoacrylate through a secondary infiltration, resulting in an increase in flexural strength to 52.7 MPa. The strong printed parts coupled with the ability for sacrificial washout presents potential to revolutionize AM in various applications including construction and tooling.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25463-0

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