Additive manufacturing of micro-architected carbide ceramics via molten salt conversion
- 1Department of energy conversion and storage, Technical University of Denmark (DTU, Agnes Nielsens Vej, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark, 2800
Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) enables complex micro-architected geometries in metals 1–3 , polymers 4 and oxide ceramics 4–6 , yet its extension to non-oxide ceramics remains constrained by optical opacity and high-temperature densification. Carbide ceramics are challenging for particle-based vat photopolymerization (VPP), where strong absorption limits curing, while pressure-assisted densification, often required for high density, is incompatible with delicate architectures. A general route to fabricate dense micro-architected carbide ceramics without conventional sintering remains unavailable. Here we demonstrate molten salt-assisted additive manufacturing of carbide ceramics (MOSAIC), an AM framework that decouples geometric shaping from carbide formation. Thermoset polymer architectures fabricated by VPP are pyrolysed into architected glassy-carbon templates and converted into carbide ceramics through molten-salt-mediated reaction with transition metals. MOSAIC produces micro-architected TiC, VC, Cr 3 C 2 and TaC with relative densities above 95% and features down to ~20 µm, and extends to WC, ZrC and Mo 2 C. Conversion depth can be controlled from ~1 µm to tens of micrometres, yielding solid carbide struts or hollow architectures after carbon removal. Controlled oxidation converts these structures into TiO 2 , Cr 2 O 3 , V 2 O 5 and Ta 2 O 5 while preserving topology. By separating architecture definition from ceramic formation, MOSAIC enables photopolymerization-based manufacturing of transition-metal carbides and derivative oxides across micrometre-scale features and millimetre- to centimetre-scale architectures.
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BibTeX
@misc{roy2026additive,
title = {{Additive manufacturing of micro-architected carbide ceramics via molten salt conversion}},
author = {Chiranjit Roy and Apurv Dash},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15009147/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009147/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Additive manufacturing of micro-architected carbide ceramics via molten salt conversion
AU - Chiranjit Roy
AU - Apurv Dash
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009147/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009147/v1
AB - Additive manufacturing (AM) enables complex micro-architected geometries in metals 1–3 , polymers 4 and oxide ceramics 4–6 , yet its extension to non-oxide ceramics remains constrained by optical opacity and high-temperature densification. Carbide ceramics are challenging for particle-based vat photopolymerization (VPP), where strong absorption limits curing, while pressure-assisted densification, often required for high density, is incompatible with delicate architectures. A general route to fabricate dense micro-architected carbide ceramics without conventional sintering remains unavailable. Here we demonstrate molten salt-assisted additive manufacturing of carbide ceramics (MOSAIC), an AM framework that decouples geometric shaping from carbide formation. Thermoset polymer architectures fabricated by VPP are pyrolysed into architected glassy-carbon templates and converted into carbide ceramics through molten-salt-mediated reaction with transition metals. MOSAIC produces micro-architected TiC, VC, Cr 3 C 2 and TaC with relative densities above 95% and features down to ~20 µm, and extends to WC, ZrC and Mo 2 C. Conversion depth can be controlled from ~1 µm to tens of micrometres, yielding solid carbide struts or hollow architectures after carbon removal. Controlled oxidation converts these structures into TiO 2 , Cr 2 O 3 , V 2 O 5 and Ta 2 O 5 while preserving topology. By separating architecture definition from ceramic formation, MOSAIC enables photopolymerization-based manufacturing of transition-metal carbides and derivative oxides across micrometre-scale features and millimetre- to centimetre-scale architectures.
ER -