3D Printing Carbonaceous Objects from Polyimide Pyrolysis

ACS Macro Lett. 2021 Apr 20;10(4):412-418. doi: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.1c00032. Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Abstract

Fully aromatic polyimides are amenable to efficient carbonization in thin two-dimensional (2D) films due to a complement of aromaticity and planarity of backbone repeating units. However, repeating unit rigidity traditionally imposes processing limitations, restricting many fully aromatic polyimides, e.g., pyromellitic dianhydride with 4,4'-oxidianiline (PMDA-ODA) polyimides, to a 2D form factor. Recently, research efforts in our laboratories enabled additive manufacturing of micron-scale resolution PMDA-ODA polyimide objects using vat photopolymerization (VP) and ultraviolet-assisted direct ink write (UV-DIW) following careful thermal postprocessing of the three-dimensional (3D) organogel precursors to 400 °C. Further thermal postprocessing of printed objects to 1000 °C induced pyrolysis of the PMDA-ODA objects to disordered carbon. The pyrolyzed objects retained excellent geometric resolution, and Raman spectroscopy displayed characteristic disordered (D) and graphitic (G) carbon bands. Scanning electron microscopy probed the cross-sectional homogeneity of the carbonized samples, revealing an absence of pore formation during carbonization. Likewise, impedance analysis of carbonized specimens indicated only a moderate decrease in conductivity compared to thin films that were pyrolyzed using an identical carbonization process. Facile pyrolysis of PMDA-ODA objects now enables the production of carbonaceous monoliths with complex and predictable three-dimensional geometries using commercially available starting materials.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbon / chemistry
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Printing, Three-Dimensional*
  • Pyrolysis*
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman

Substances

  • Carbon