Effect of Residual Carbon on Silicon Carbide Ceramics in Photopolymerization-Based Additive Manufacturing

Silicon carbide (SiC) is widely used in various industrial fields for its excellent properties. Vat photopolymerization (VP) technology stands out in the fabrication of SiC ceramics due to its enhanced design flexibility and capability to produce intricate geometries. However, the excessive residual carbon content in VP technology directly affects the sintering performance of SiC ceramics, leading to cracking and deformation defects. To address this issue, we systematically studied the residual carbon content of SiC under different debinding atmospheres in forming by VP technology. We found that the debinding atmosphere can effectively control the residual carbon content in SiC ceramics. Residual carbon exists in samples with a lower degree of defect, promotes grain growth, reduces neck size, and results in flexural strength of 253.13 MPa after pressureless sintering. This research promotes the application of VP technology in SiC ceramics and opens up a new avenue for the development of high-performance SiC ceramics.