3D Printing of Nacre-Inspired Structures with Exceptional Mechanical and Flame-Retardant Properties
Yang Yang,
Ziyu Wang,
Qingqing He,
Xiangjia Li,
Gengxi Lu,
Laiming Jiang,
Yushun Zeng,
Brandon Bethers,
Jie Jin,
Shuang Lin,
Siqi Xiao,
Yizhen Zhu,
Xianke Wu,
Wenwu Xu,
Qiming Wang,
Yong Chen
Affiliations
Yang Yang
Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
Ziyu Wang
The Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Qingqing He
Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
Xiangjia Li
School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, 551 E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
Gengxi Lu
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, 1042 Downey Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Laiming Jiang
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, 1042 Downey Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Yushun Zeng
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, 1042 Downey Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Brandon Bethers
Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
Jie Jin
Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; ShadeCraft Robotics Inc., Pasadena, CA 91105, USA
Shuang Lin
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, 925 Bloom Walk, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA
Siqi Xiao
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, 925 Bloom Walk, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA
Yizhen Zhu
School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, 551 E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Xianke Wu
School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Wenwu Xu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
Qiming Wang
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Yong Chen
Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Flame-retardant and thermal management structures have attracted great attention due to the requirement of high-temperature exposure in industrial, aerospace, and thermal power fields, but the development of protective fire-retardant structures with complex shapes to fit arbitrary surfaces is still challenging. Herein, we reported a rotation-blade casting-assisted 3D printing process to fabricate nacre-inspired structures with exceptional mechanical and flame-retardant properties, and the related fundamental mechanisms are studied. 3-(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMSPMA) modified boron nitride nanoplatelets (BNs) were aligned by rotation-blade casting during the 3D printing process to build the “brick and mortar” architecture. The 3D printed structures are more lightweight, while having higher fracture toughness than the natural nacre, which is attributed to the crack deflection, aligned BN (a-BNs) bridging, and pull-outs reinforced structures by the covalent bonding between TMSPMA grafted a-BNs and polymer matrix. Thermal conductivity is enhanced by 25.5 times compared with pure polymer and 5.8 times of anisotropy due to the interconnection of a-BNs. 3D printed heat-exchange structures with vertically aligned BNs in complex shapes were demonstrated for efficient thermal control of high-power light-emitting diodes. 3D printed helmet and armor with a-BNs show exceptional mechanical and fire-retardant properties, demonstrating integrated mechanical and thermal protection.
