3D Printed Aerogel Microstructures

(EMPA, August 20, 2020)

A team of Empa researchers led by Shanyu Zhao, Gilberto Siqueira, Wim Malfait and Matthias Koebel recently succeeded in producing stable, well-shaped microstructures from silica aerogel – light, porous foams that provide excellent thermal insulation – by using a 3D printer. Thanks to this patent-pending method, it is possible for the first time to print complex 3D multi-material microstructures, which can achieved by precisely adjusting the flow and solidification properties of the silica ink from which the aerogel is later produced, so that both self-supporting structures and wafer-thin membranes can be printed. This opens up numerous new application possibilities in the high-tech industry, for example in microelectronics, robotics, biotechnology and sensor technology.