3D/4D additive–subtractive manufacturing of heterogeneous ceramics

The manufacturing of heterogeneous high-temperature material components is challenging for use in practical applications. Three-dimensional (3D) printing provides solutions to programmable constructing ceramic architectures. However, the development of heterogeneous ceramics is limited by low flexibility of heterogeneity, geometrical complexity, structural resolution, manufacturing efficiency, and material diversity. In this study, we demonstrated flexible and rapid approaches for fabricating complicated and precise heterogeneous ceramics by shape-changing (4D) or shape-keeping (3D) additive–subtractive manufacturing (ASM) methods. The shape-changing strategy for heterogeneous ceramics was achieved by global ceramization of heterogeneous precursors, while the shape-keeping strategy for heterogeneous ceramics was achieved by local receramization of homogeneous ceramics. Finite element analysis (FEA) simulations of the influence of the thermal shrinkage dominant in the shape-changing strategy on the shape deformation of heterogeneous ceramics could be valuable predictions of the experimental results. The 3D/4D ASM methods are generic for high-temperature materials and extendable to metallic and diamond materials.