Additive Manufacturing Of Bijels

Abstract

A printable bijel precursor, comprising: a hydrophobic component; an aqueous component; a solvent; a population of hydrophobic particles; and a population of hydrophilic particles, wherein the printable bijel precursor is formulated such that the printable bijel precursor forms a bijel following at least partial removal of the solvent, wherein the printable bijel precursor is characterized as having any one or more of: (a) a viscosity of from about 20 to about 80 Pa*s at a shear rate of 15 sec-1, (b) a storage modulus of from 6000 to about 60,000 Pa at a strain of 0.1%, (c) a loss modulus of from 600 to about 6000 Pa at a strain of about 0.1%, and (d) a loss modulus greater than a storage modulus at a strain of about 20%. A method of additively manufacturing a bijel, comprising: extruding a first amount of a printable bijel precursor according to the present disclosure, the extruding being performed under such conditions that the first amount of the printable bijel precursor forms a first solid persistent bijel portion. The conditions can include, for example, effecting at least partial evaporation of the solvent of the printable bijel precursor. A method of additively manufacturing a bijel part, comprising: extruding, through a nozzle having a diameter, a plurality of layers of a printable bijel precursor according to the present disclosure, the extruding being performed under such conditions that the printable bijel precursor forms a solid persistent bijel part comprising a plurality of bijel layers. A bijel part, comprising: a plurality of layers comprising a persistent solid bijel material, the plurality of layers comprising channels placing the layers into fluid communication with one another.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.