Cornell University, alongside its start-up Dimensional Energy and Lithoz, has been awarded a grant to develop novel ceramics that could be used to 3D print parts of clean energy reactors.
Having raised $50,000 in funding, researchers at the firms are now aiming to come up with a new type of ceramic that’s better able to withstand the high temperatures of thermocatalytic reactors in operation. Using computer modeling and 3D printing, the team say it could be possible to layer the resulting material into structures, shaped specifically to improve both resilience and reactor CO2 conversion rates.
“Excellent thermal properties and corrosion resistance make ceramics attractive for these reactors, but significant design constraints limit their actual performance,” said Sadaf Sobhani, the Cornell University Assistant Professor leading the program. “The freedom of design and choice of materials enabled by ceramic additive manufacturing will narrow the theory-performance gap to hit desired milestones.”
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