About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Nano and Micro Additive Manufacturing
|
| Presentation Title |
Interface-Driven Toughening of Additively Manufactured Micro- and Nano-Ceramics |
| Author(s) |
Edoardo Rossi, Wenjuan Cheng, Jens Bauer, Laszlo Pethö, Johann Michler, Marco Sebastiani |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Edoardo Rossi |
| Abstract Scope |
Surface flaws and environmental sensitivity can significantly impact the fracture toughness of 3D printed micro- and nano-ceramics. In pyrolytic carbon structures, humidity induces weakening at the crack tip, reducing toughness by ~20%. We demonstrate that conformal Al₂O₃ coatings, produced via atomic layer deposition (ALD), suppress this degradation while also introducing additional mechanical effects that depend on the crack geometry and substrate properties. FIB-DIC and cohesive finite element modeling confirm that residual tensile stresses in the coating can promote toughening via stress-assisted crack shielding. To isolate these effects, fused silica micro-pillars were employed as a model system to study how ALD thickness and deposition temperature modulate apparent toughness. A transition from embrittlement to toughening is observed, controlled by the residual stress state. Beyond pillar splitting, novel 3D-printed tensile geometries enable probing composite toughness in stretching-dominated lattices, providing fracture metrics under realistic functional and environmental loads in architected ceramic materials. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Additive Manufacturing, Ceramics, Characterization |