Stereolithographic 3D Printing of BaSO4: Composites and Ceramics

Highly filled (up to 55 vol %) low-viscosity (less than 3 Pa s) photocurable suspensions based on micrometer powders of barium sulfate and 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, suitable for stereolithographic 3D printing, are produced. The 3D printing of high-resolution planar mesh structures using a digital light-emitting diode projection (DLP) is experimentally demonstrated. From the obtained composite objects, dense ceramics of a complex architecture with a hole of up to 550 µm and thin walls of up to 300 µm are produced by burning and subsequent sintering at 850°C. When studying the optical characteristics of ceramics with optically active additives, the characteristic features of both cerium ions Ce³⁺ and Eu²⁺, as well as the built-in carbon, are demonstrated.