This raw 3-D printed ploymeric material known as Kapton, created and printed at Virginia Tech, might one day be used in space vehicles or satellites because of its ability to withstand high temperatures. Credit: Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech researchers have created a novel way to 3D print the type of high-temperature polymeric materials commonly used to insulate spacecraft and satellites from extreme heat and cold. Previously, the polyimide could previously be made only in sheets. The material, formally known as Kapton, is an aromatic polymer composed of carbons and hydrogens in benzene rings, which provides exceptional thermal and chemical stability. But because of this molecular structure, the material is notoriously difficult to produce in any format other than thin sheets. Kapton often is used in the multi-layer insulation that forms the outer wrapping of spacecraft, satellites, and planetary rovers to protect them from extreme heat and cold. It often is mistaken for “gold foil.”
During a year-long process, researchers from the College of Engineering and College of Science were able to synthesize the macromolecules, allowing them to remain stable and maintain their thermal properties for processing in 3D printing. With this breakthrough, the high-performance polymer now could theoretically be used in any shape, size, or structure. And not just within the aerospace industry. The same material can be found in scores of electronic devices, including cell phones and televisions.
Materials currently used in 3D printing do not have the high strength and stiffness across broad hot-cold temperature ranges necessary for the extremes of space. Typically, printable polymers start to lose their mechanical strength at about 300F. This new polymer maintains its properties above 680F. “We are now able to print the highest temperature polymer ever – about 285F higher in deflection temperature than any other existing printable polymer. Additionally, our 3D printed material has equivalent strength to the conventionally processed thin-film Kapton material,” Williams said. (The material’s heat-resistant ceiling before degradation is 1,020F.)
“We can imagine this being used for printing a satellite structure, serving as a high-temp filter or a high-temp flow nozzle,” said Williams, the Electro-Mechanical Corporation Senior Faculty Fellow in Advanced Manufacturing Systems. “We can imagine using the wide geometric and microscale possibilities offered by 3D printing to further improve existing designs – say, a more lightweight satellite, a filter that provides optimum/efficient flow, a nozzle with a designed flow path that allows greater exit velocity and efficiency.”
“We chose a fairly ubiquitous high-temperature and high-strength polymer because we wanted to enable a rapid impact on existing technologies,” Professor Long said, adding that being able to create such 3D printed materials in any shape could serve a key market, such as the aerospace industry. Indeed, Long said companies have already shown early interest in the new material, which has a U.S. patent filed.
The two teams spent a year testing the material’s performance in extreme heat and cold temperature scenarios and fine-tuning how the material is machine printed. Williams’ and Long’s work recently was published in the Advanced Materials journal under a fitting title: Processing the Nonprocessable.
“At the end of the day, we are each other’s biggest cheerleaders,” Williams said of his work with Long’s lab in the College of Science. Long added, “We challenge each other with how polymer structures must be invented, or reinvented, to enable 3-D printing. We often joke that I am a post-doctorate researcher in the DREAMS lab and he is a post-doctorate researcher in my lab. It is truly a partnership for innovation.”
http://www.newswise.com/articles/virginia-tech-team-develops-novel-3-d-printed-high-performance-polymer-that-could-be-used-in-space
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