Preparation and property characterization of Zr-modified Si-O-C-based precursor ceramics through three-dimensional printing

In this study, Zr-modified Si-O-C precursor ceramics were prepared using three-dimensional (3D) printing. Ceramic sintering was completed by printing four precursors containing different zirconium acetylacetone contents. Comparative analysis was conducted on the ceramic yield, size shrinkage, mechanical properties, and microstructure. The results showed that the ceramic yield and size shrinkage of the four samples were increased with the increasing zirconium acetylacetone contents. The sample containing 30 wt% zirconium acetylacetone exhibited good compressive performance, with a compressive strength of 50.2 ± 0.6 MPa. Cracks were observed on the surface of samples containing 40 wt% zirconium acetylacetone, while those containing 10, 20, and 30 wt% zirconium acetylacetone were relatively intact. Therefore, a stable Si-Zr-O-C precursor ceramic with good mechanical properties, which can be used for 3D printing, was obtained.