PFI-TT: Three Dimensional (3D) Printing of Ceramic Components with Hierarchical and Interconnected Pore Structures for Carbon Capture Applications

创新伙伴关系-技术转化（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是通过降低碳捕获技术的运营成本来解决全球变暖和气候变化问题。如果成功，该项目将使创新陶瓷单片吸附剂的生产成为可能，这是碳捕获技术的关键组成部分。与现有的胺基吸附剂相比，新的吸附剂可能需要更少的能量进行再生和吸附。该项目旨在通过三维（3D）打印产生生产吸附剂所需的科学和技术知识。碳捕获技术的广泛采用可能有助于缓解全球变暖和气候变化，以及从极端天气事件中挽救生命和经济损失。此外，快速增长的碳市场将在美国创造新的就业机会。通过该项目的教育和领导力发展计划，研究生将对创新和创业有深入的了解，并提高他们的研究、项目管理和领导技能。加强学生的批判性思维和解决问题的能力，对创新创业有一个基本的认识。来自代表性不足群体的学生的参与将增加未来STEM劳动力的多样性。拟议的项目旨在开发整个3D打印过程，用于生产具有分层和相互连接的孔隙结构的陶瓷组件，这些孔隙结构可用作碳捕获应用的吸附剂。使用现有的制造方法生产这种陶瓷部件是非常困难和昂贵的。拟议的项目利用颗粒状粉末的粘合剂喷射三维（3D）打印。所提出的吸附剂的新颖之处在于它们含有具有四边形尺寸分布的相互连接的孔隙。研究目标是：(1)开发原料粉末制备工艺；(2)确定与原料粉末兼容的粘结剂；(3)开发粘结剂喷射3D打印工艺。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to address global warming and climate change by reducing the operational costs of carbon capture technologies. If successful, this project will enable manufacturing of innovative ceramic monolithic adsorbents, the key components in carbon capture technologies. The new adsorbents may require less energy for regeneration and adsorption than existing amines-based absorbents. The project seeks to generate the scientific and technological knowledge necessary for producing the adsorbents through three dimensional (3D) printing. The wide-spread adoption of carbon capture technologies may help alleviate global warming and climate change, as well as save lives and economic losses from extreme weather events. Furthermore, the fast-growing carbon market will create new jobs in the U.S. Through this project’s educational and leadership development program, the graduate students will gain a solid understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship and sharpen their research, project management, and leadership skills. The undergraduate students will strengthen their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities and gain a basic understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship. The involvement of students from underrepresented groups will increase the diversity of the future STEM workforce.The proposed project aims to develop the entire 3D printing process for producing ceramic components with hierarchical and interconnected pore structures that can be used as adsorbents for carbon capture applications. It is very difficult and costly to produce such ceramic components using existing manufacturing methods. The proposed project utilizes binder jetting three dimensional (3D) printing with granulated powders. The novelty of the proposed adsorbents is that they contain interconnected pores with a quadrimodal size distribution. The research objectives are: (1) to develop the feedstock powder preparation process, (2) to identify a compatible binder for the feedstock powder, and (3) to develop the binder jetting 3D printing process.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.