This project discusses the development of a 3D printing process to manufacture porous ceramic materials from clay for thermal insulation and passive cooling in buildings. The process uses inks made of particle-stabilized foams as templates for the creation of hierarchical porosity in the ceramics. By adjusting the rheological properties of the inks, the authors establish the printing parameters and sintering conditions needed to create the ceramic structures. The results show that the sintering temperature significantly affects the micropore size distribution, which affects the mechanical, thermal, and evaporative cooling properties of the printed structures. The study demonstrates that the use of clay in 3D printing can produce affordable and recyclable building materials with structural, insulating, and cooling properties.

Publication

Dutto, A., Zanini, M., Jeoffroy, E., Tervoort, E., Mhatre, S. A., Seibold, Z. B., Bechthold, M., Studart, A. R., 3D Printing of Hierarchical Porous Ceramics for Thermal Insulation and Evaporative Cooling. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2022, 2201109. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202201109

Acknowledgment

The team thanks ETH Zürich for the financial support of this research project. Dr. Stefan Gstöhl (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland) was also acknowledged for kindly providing the pressure sensor used in selected printing experiments. The authors also thank ASCER Tile of Spain as well as the Harvard Center for Green Cities and Buildings for their support of the research.

Open access funding provided by Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule Zurich.

Attribution

Complex Materials Group, ETH Zurich : Alessandro Dutto, Michele Zanini, Etienne Jeoffroy, Elena Tervoort, André R. Studart.

MaP+S Group, Harvard GSD : Saurabh A. Mhatre, Zachary B. Seibold, Martin Bechthold.