Additive manufacturing
At LLNL, additive manufacturing (3D printing) is constantly advancing to include a multitude of techniques and materials, and our group contributes by developing novel techniques and unique printable feedstocks. We use a variety of techniques to print polymers, metals, glasses, and ceramics to address scientific challenges as well as the needs of LLNL’s core mission thrusts.
Our group specializes in creating printable inks, flowable powders, solid loaded filaments, and resins. We 3D print parts with micron-sized features, hierarchical designs, metamaterials, and composite structures, as well as large parts at scales relevant to many modern technical applications.
Direct ink writing
Direct ink writing (DIW) is an additive manufacturing technique that has been demonstrated with broad classes of materials, including a variety of polymers, metals, and ceramics. The technique involves the extrusion of thixotropic ink out of a pressurized nozzle to selectively deposit liquid-based inks. Unlike traditional fused-deposition modeling printers, this technique does not require heat for material flow, but rather uses shear thinning materials to cause momentary flow in the nozzle tip, followed by shape-retention after deposition.
DIW can be used to print particle-loaded slurries, photo-curable resins, solgel based inks, or custom siloxane compounds for curable silicone parts. Further complexity and customization can be achieved by using custom mixing nozzles that can mix varying ratios of multiple inks to create parts with compositional gradients during the printing process. We have formulated a series of printable energy storage materials for printing via direct ink write, a technology known as Energy Inks. This technology won a prestigious R&D100 award and was transferred to the commercial market.
Lithium materials
Our group has a range of expertise in dealing with lithium compounds and other air- and moisture-sensitive materials. This expertise includes:
- Developing unique extraction, intensification, and purification of lithium through a variety of aqueous and metallurgical processes.
- Advanced characterization of powders and compacts to determine their chemical, mechanical, and structural properties for use in a variety of applications.
We study the constraints for storing these materials and preventing their corrosion. We partner with other Department of Energy sites and the mining industry to help meet the exponentially growing demands for lithium.
Materials for harsh service conditions
As modern technology advances, traditional materials are beginning to reach their limits during exposure to extreme environments. These extremes can include combinations of high temperature, pressure, corrosion, mechanical stress, and shock loading. Engineering materials with the ability to operate in these environments can translate into significant gains in efficiency, power, or speed.
We are exploring new types of high-performance compounds and composites, along with novel processing and synthesis techniques. Ultra-high temperature ceramics, refractory materials, low-density metals, optical ceramics, and ultra-hard compounds are just a few of the materials of interest.
Nanostructured materials
Nanostructured materials can display unique properties compared to their microstructured forms, including enhanced mechanical, electromagnetic, optical, catalytic, or thermal performance. These properties can be highly dependent on the structure, morphology, or composition of the nanomaterial and can often be tuned to match the desired application.
We synthesize nanomaterials by chemical, thermal, mechanical, and sol-gel methods (depending on the compound or final physical form) and incorporate them into other material systems or manufacturing processes.
Polymer chemistry
We use polymers, one of the most versatile material groups, for applications ranging from energy storage to catalytic structures to explosives. Polymers can be formed into complex shapes with techniques such as direct ink writing, microstereolithogaphy, or microencapsulation, and doped with an assortment of other materials to tailor their mechanical, thermal, or electrical properties.
We work with energetic materials to form newly synthesized polymers, plasticizers, binders, and other additives into different types of explosives and characterize them using thermal, rheological, mechanical, or optical measurements to evaluate properties and performance.
