Conformal high-resolution printing of polymer-derived ceramics by self-adaptive direct ink writing

Polymer-derived ceramic-based thin film temperature sensors (TFTS) exhibit attractive potential for the temperature monitoring of critical components in aerospace. However, the fabrication of PDC-based TFTS with high performance cannot be deposited on the nonplanar surfaces conformally, facing enormous challenges. In this work, a self-adaptive direct ink writing (SADIW) device was invented to prepare thin films using polymer precursor without filler addition. The complex pattern with a minimum line-width of approximately 45 µm can be printed on curved surfaces using SADIW device, displaying excellent flexible manufacturing and high accuracy. Meanwhile, the Hagen-Poiseuille model was proposed to analyze the printing process based on the theoretical simulation, which is conducive to facilitating the prediction of optimal printing parameters. Additionally, the fabricated SiCN TFTS exhibits great temperature sensing performance from room temperature to 800 °C and possesses supreme sensitivity coefficient of 17,043 at high temperature, displaying excellent repeatability and stability. The successful fabrication of the SiCN thin film demonstrated that PDCs can be prepared without adding filler, resolving the issue of performance degradation of the reported TFTS caused by structural inhomogeneity and relatively low density. The SADIW technique has promising potential for application in additive manufacturing and provides a new pathway for the development of high-performance temperature sensors on intricate surface applications.