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A 3D-printing method of fabrication for metals,

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ceramics, and multi-materials using a universal

Cite this: DOI: 10.1039/c9mh01690b
self-curable technique for robocasting†
Received 23rd October 2019,
Accepted 12th December 2019 Danwei Zhang, ‡a Win Jonhson, ‡a Tun Seng Herng, a Yong Quan Ang,a
Lin Yang, a Swee Ching Tan, a Erwin Peng, *a Hui He *b and Jun Ding *a
DOI: 10.1039/c9mh01690b

rsc.li/materials-horizons

Ceramics and metals are important materials that modern technol-

ogies are constructed from. The capability to produce such materi- New concepts
als in a complex geometry with good mechanical properties can Current additive manufacturing techniques such as UV-based and laser-
based curing have limited material selection and difficulties in
revolutionize the way we engineer our devices. Current curing
fabricating geometrically complex structures. Integrated multi-material
techniques pose challenges such as high energy requirements, structures also remain a challenge to be produced in a single print due to
limitations of materials with high refractive index, tedious post- adhesion between materials, shrinkage and densification demands. In
processing heat treatment processes, uneven drying shrinkages, this paper, we propose a novel solution of a universal printing method
and brittleness of green bodies. In this paper, a novel modified self- based on a modified self-curable epoxide–amine system to obtain a wide
range of metal–ceramic and ceramic–ceramic structures without the need
curable epoxide–amine 3D printing system is proposed to print a wide
for an external curing source. This technique also resolves the challenge
range of ceramics (metal oxides, nitrides, and carbides) and metals of curing high refractive index and absorption coefficient ceramics and
without the need for an external curing source. Through this techni- metals, producing a flexible green-body to acquire a geometrically-
que, complex multi-material structures (with metal–ceramic and complex structure without sacrificial supports. With the addition of low
ceramic–ceramic combinations) can also be realized. Tailoring and molecular weight plasticizers and a multi-stage heat treatment process,
a wide range of dense and crack-free integrated multi-material structures
matching the sintering temperatures of different materials through
can be achieved.
sintering additives and dopants, combined with a structural design
providing maximum adhesion between interfaces, allow us
to successfully obtain superior quality sintered multi-material
structures. High-quality ceramic and metallic materials have been and produced astounding result in terms of build quality,1,2
achieved (e.g., zirconia with 498% theoretical density). Also, highly while ceramic and metal printing is still gaining traction in
conductive metals and magnetic ceramics were printed and the AM research field.3,4
shaped uniquely without the need for a sacrificial support. With There are several specialized AM processes to achieve
the addition of low molecular weight plasticizers and a multi- geometrically-complex polymer, ceramic and metal structures.
stage heat treatment process, crack-free and dense high-quality These processes include selective laser melting (SLM), vat
integrated multi-material structures fabricated by 3D printing can polymerization (digital light projection (DLP) & stereolitho-
thus be a reality in the near future. graphy (SLA) based on UV-curable resin) and robocasting.5–8
Out of these, SLM is particularly suitable for high-quality metal
printing. However, it is an expensive tool which requires high
Introduction energy laser input.5 The vat polymerization technique is a popular
choice for ceramic 3D printing, with its fast printing speed and
Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, has the ability to print high-resolution structures.9 Nevertheless, it
gained huge momentum in research and has become increasingly suffers from limited material selection.3
recognized as a rapid fabrication tool to meet current engineering There is an interest in developing a universal yet economical
demands. Polymeric materials have been researched intensively technique which has the ability to print a wide range of metals

a
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
b
Key Laboratory of Low-grade Energy Utilization Technologies and System (Chongqing University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400044, China.
E-mail: [email protected]
† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c9mh01690b
‡ These authors contributed equally to this work.

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and ceramics. Ink-jetting and binder-jetting techniques have Results and discussion
the capability to print a wide range of materials with high- Robocasting of ceramic and metal pastes via a modified self-
resolution but are largely limited to small build structures and curable epoxide-amine curing system
rough surface finishing, respectively.10,11
Robocasting is a popular 3D printing technique due to its A printing paste consists of ceramic/metal powders in a net-
relative simplicity with a vast material selection.12–17 As an work of plasticizer, epoxide, and amine curing agents. The
added benefit, it can be equipped with multiple print-heads printing paste was homogenized using a simple mortar and
making it the most viable option to print multi-materials pestle before being extruded using a Regenhu 3D Discovery
with minimal material wastage.18 Feedstocks for robocasting Bioprinter via compressed air (Fig. S2, ESI†). Poly(ethylene
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include aqueous-,14,19–22 solvent-23–25 and photocurable-based glycol)diglycidyl ether (PEGDE) and EpoThin 2 Hardener
formulations.12,26,27 However, these formulations are not (ETH) were used as epoxide and amine curing agents respec-
without their disadvantages. The hardening process of a struc- tively. Several low molecular weight plasticizers were utilized to
ture via an aqueous- or solvent-based method can be simply allow flexibility in the matrix through hydrogen bonding as
achieved by surface evaporation of water or volatile liquids. shown in the mechanism schematic diagram in Fig. 1a. In
Aqueous-based and solvent-based feedstock face many draw- particular, low molecular weight plasticizers with relatively low
backs such as brittleness of green bodies and poor control of vapor pressure, such as ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene
the drying process.28 This can lead to disproportional lateral glycol (DEG), were selected to minimize evaporation at room
shrinkage and cracks.28,29 temperature. These plasticizers served as diluents as well,
Another robocasting technique harnesses photo-curing. allowing effective dispersion of powders in the media. The
Well controlled and uniform curing can be achieved through absence of these low molecular weight plasticizers in the 3D
optimization of the intensity and curing time. Photocurable printing paste may cause cracks and pores to be formed in the
printed green bodies and high-quality 3D structures after resultant sintered structure due to the higher amount of
sintering (full density without cracks) have been obtained for organic binder required in the matrix (Fig. S3, ESI†). Robocast-
several white oxide materials (silica, alumina, zirconia, etc.) due ing of multi-material structures can also be feasibly realized
to their lower refractive index among the plethora of ceramic through an alternating extrusion of different print-heads. At
materials12,26,27 (Fig. S1, ESI†). However, the technique is not this point, the as-printed body is partially cross-linked and
suitable for ceramic materials with higher refractive indexes or cannot maintain the structure upon touch.
higher absorption (for example nitrides, carbides and black To achieve a robust structure which can be handled easily,
oxides) (Fig. S1, ESI†).30,31 Likewise, the high absorption coeffi- PEGDE and ETH must be fully cross-linked. Unlike photo-
cients of metals cause difficulty in photocuring32,33 (Fig. S1, ESI†). curable and thermal-initiated polymerization, which require
Self-curing (or latent curing) is another curing technique. an external source such as UV and heat to allow a reaction to
Self-curing robocasting has been reported for 3D structures of occur, the proposed modified self-curable system allows
ceramic and polymer matrix composites.34–37 Small weight the curing reaction to proceed under ambient conditions.
percentages of ceramic powder were added as fillers to improve Alternatively, the printed structure can be transferred into an
the mechanical strength of the polymer matrix. However, sintering oven at temperatures under 80 1C to hasten the curing process
for fully dense ceramic structures has not been reported. Our as shown in Fig. 1b. To accelerate the curing process even
preliminary study on self-cured structures through robocasting further, heat can be introduced during the printing process
using purely epoxy polymers and ceramic powder shows that either by attaching a heating element to the print-head (cure
high-quality ceramic 3D structures could not be obtained because on-demand) or by substrate heating (Fig. S4a, ESI†). The low
of the presence of cracks after sintering (Fig. S3, ESI†). To address molecular weight of the plasticizer allows mobility within the
these challenges, a novel approach to achieve high-quality multi- matrix, and the low vapor pressure of the plasticizer ensures
material 3D printed structures with high sintering density through a that the structure can be cured without evaporation of the
modified self-curable epoxide–amine curing system is proposed. plasticizer, which would otherwise render the cured structure
The universality of this self-curing technique allows a wide range of rigid. The fully cured printed body is termed as a flex-body26
materials to be printed including both high refractive index ceramic due to the flexibility of the structure which can undergo post-
powders and metal. In addition, the utilization of low molecular printing shaping.
weight plasticizers opens up secondary shaping possibilities after As compared to volatile solvents, the selected chemicals
3D printing. There have been many proposed methods that leverage (EG, DEG, etc.) which function as plasticizers have higher
on siloxane bonds (–Si–O–Si–) found in poly(dimethylsiloxane) boiling points up to 200 1C for controllable chemical evapora-
(PDMS), to impart flexibility.38,39 However, such methods are only tion and shrinkage. Evaporation of the plasticizer as illustrated
limited to achieving silicon oxycarbide structures after pyrolysis, in Fig. 1c is an important step as it introduces porosity to the
impeding the versatility and applicability to other materials. Com- structure, facilitating a more efficient burn-off of organic
bining this universal self-curing technique with a flexible green-body components at the later stage. At this stage, the green-body,40
to obtain geometrically-complex, crack-free, and dense structures, which refers to the state of the printed structure after solvent/
the outlook for ceramic and/or metal multi-material integrated plasticizer evaporation, is relatively porous yet rigid. Without
devices in the near future is feasibly attainable. complete plasticizer evaporation, there may be a higher chance

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Fig. 1 Multi-stage heat treatment process to achieve crack-free and dense sintered structures. (a) Robocasting of metal and/or ceramic multi-material
structures is realized via extrusion; the as-printed body has minimal cross-links between epoxide–amine curing agents (PEGDE and ETH). (b) Self-curing
at room temperature or at increased temperature; the fully cured structure, achievable even at room temperature, allows a robust and flexible flex-body
via hydrogen bonds between DEG and the PEGDE-ETH network. (c) Plasticizer evaporation allowing a rigid green-body; complete plasticizer evaporation
introduces porosity in the green-body and shrinkage. (d) Complete binder burn-off during debinding resulting in greater shrinkage of the brown-body.
(e) The sintered body is dense and crack-free after high-temperature sintering.

of cracks in the resultant structure because of the rapid out- robocasting. To maintain structural integrity (ty 4 200 Pa)42
gassing of organic materials at higher temperatures. The of the printed structure, a minimum solid loading of 50 vol% is
debinding stage is depicted in Fig. 1d. With pores introduced required as shown in Fig. 2b. An optimized nickel–zinc ferrite
during plasticizer evaporation, the debinding step is effective in printing paste of B52 vol% has a shear thinning behavior,
the removal of relatively heavier organic components and the with a shear yield stress of B400 Pa, which is suitable for
ceramic/metal powders begin to be more compact. The struc- robocasting (Fig. S5b and c, ESI†). As mentioned previously,
ture is now referred to as a brown-body,41 which is a porous thermal heat can be utilized to accelerate the curing of the
structure, void of organic components due to thermal decom- printed sample. In Fig. 2c, nickel–zinc ferrite printing pastes
position. Fig. 1e illustrates the sintered structure which under- were subjected to different temperatures (i.e., 25 1C, 70 1C, and
went the above multi-stage heat treatment process, achieving a 80 1C) and studied for its effect on viscosity over time. For the
crack-free and dense microstructure. paste in a 25 1C environment, its viscosity remains fairly
constant throughout 90 minutes. This indicates that negligible
Robocasting and secondary shaping of ceramic and metal curing took place. When subjected to increased temperatures,
structures the viscosity of the printing pastes increase drastically over
To further investigate the reaction between epoxide and amine time, demonstrating that curing has taken place. At 70 1C,
used, the viscosity against PEDGE and ETH curing agent ratio complete curing occurs after 90 minutes while at 80 1C,
was studied at different temperatures. In Fig. 2a, a curing ratio complete curing occurs after 60 minutes. To prolong the
of between 0.20 and 0.25 of ETH to PEGDE gave the lowest printing paste’s shelf life, it could be stored as a two-pack
viscosity at a shear rate of 0.9 s 1. This trend is consistent when epoxide and amine (A and B) system. In the first pack (Pack A),
the environmental temperature during the rheological test was a homogenous paste consisting of nickel–zinc ferrite powders,
varied (i.e. 25 1C, 50 1C, 70 1C and 90 1C). With a low viscosity of DEG and PEGDE can be stored under ambient conditions. Pack
the starting paste, extrusion through a small orifice at low A shows a stable viscosity of B200 Pa s at 10.0 s 1 in a 25 1C
pressures is possible. To confirm the crosslinking reaction environment over 36 hours (Fig. S5d, ESI†). Effective mixing of
between PEGDE and ETH, differential scanning calorimetry Pack A and Pack B (consists of ETH) provides a viscoelastic
(DSC) measurement was conducted. A 0.20 : 1 volume ratio of paste for the subsequent printing process. Using this printing
ETH and PEGDE has exothermic curing peaks at 95.2 1C and paste, dense and crack-free sintered nickel–zinc ferrite struc-
109.2 1C (Fig. S5a, ESI†). The results also show that exothermic tures could be obtained using the thermal processing steps as
heat was released at B27 1C, thus showing that curing has shown in Fig. 1b–e. Shrinkages caused by the heat treatment
taken place at room temperature. Using the optimized volume process from its flex-body to green-body to sintered–body from
ratio 0.20 : 1 of ETH and PEGDE, the solid loading of nickel– a 52 vol% nickel–zinc ferrite paste are shown in Fig. 2d. A
zinc ferrite paste was varied using different amounts of DEG to 20.6% lateral shrinkage is observed in order to get a densified
transform the resin into a viscoelastic paste suitable for and magnetically-responsive nickel–zinc ferrite structure with a

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Fig. 2 Robocasting strategy to achieve dense and complex metal and/or ceramic structures. (a) Viscosity of the nickel–zinc ferrite paste against curing
agent ratio (ETH : PEGDE) at different temperatures. (b) Nickel–zinc ferrite paste yield stress as a function of solid loading. (c) Nickel–zinc ferrite structure
viscosity over time at different temperatures. (d) Digital comparison of a flex-body, green-body and sintered-body shows a 20.6% lateral shrinkage. (e)
Magnetic behavior of the sintered structure. (inset) Digital images of sintered nickel–zinc ferrite structures showing reliability of the paste for consecutive
prints. (f) SEM images showing the dense microstructures of the structure sintered at 1300 1C for 5 hours.

sintering duration of 5 hours at 1300 1C as shown in Fig. 2e The pores show the effective removal of DEG in the nickel–zinc
and f. The XRD analysis and magnetic properties of sintered ferrite microstructure. After complete plasticizer evaporation, the
nickel–zinc ferrite structures subjected to various sintering structure retains its complex geometry after mold removal. As
temperatures are described in Fig. S5e and f (ESI†). A highest shown in Fig. 3c, the rectangular mesh is then subjected to
magnetic saturation (Ms) = 74.4 emu g 1 is obtained at a elevated temperatures for debinding and sintering to occur. The
sintering temperature of 1300 1C for 5 hours. well-controlled heat treatment process ensures that the brown-
Two methods of post-printing shaping can be easily body and sintered-body achieved during the debinding and
harnessed to further shape a 3D printed structure into the desired sintering stages respectively preserve the intricate geometrical
complex geometry, which would otherwise be challenging to structure without microstructural cracks. The sintered nickel–zinc
fabricate with any 3D printing technique (Fig. S4b, ESI†). From ferrite structure at 1300 1C for 1 hour shows a crack-free and
the mechanism of the flex-body as illustrated in Fig. 1b, the dense microstructure through the SEM images in Fig. 3e.
printed structure is flexible and shapeable due to the complete In addition, several complex copper structures that under-
crosslinking of the curing system held together by hydrogen went the secondary shaping process are shown in Fig. 3f. These
bonds of the plasticizer. This imparts greater geometrical com- structures, if left to conventional robocasting, would require
plexity of the 3D printed structures. As an illustration of the many supports due to the overhangs and bridges formed by the
complexity of a structure that can be realized through this layer-by-layer printing. Using the proposed technique, the need
method, a nickel–zinc ferrite rectangular mesh is printed as for supports in printing complex structures can be eliminated.
shown in Fig. 3a. The robust mesh is flexible and able to take With the flexibility of the flex-body, coupled with the usage of
on distinct curvatures, subjected to a mold’s design. This design is porous polymeric molds, overhanging structures can be printed
customizable using computer-aided design software (CAD) and without supports. This is especially beneficial for large scale
printed with high temperature-resistant polymer resin via DLP. As manufacturing where post-processing and removal of supports
depicted in Fig. 3b, the rectangular mesh is placed between two is highly time-consuming. Furthermore, there is no material
interlocking porous polymeric molds and the mesh takes on the wastage during the printing process, effectively allowing for a
shape of the desired curvatures readily. The mold-and-mesh more economical printing procedure.
assembly is then placed in an oven at a temperature of less than The proposed self-curable method of fabrication can
250 1C. At this stage, the low molecular weight plasticizer (such as be extended to both metals and ceramics (structural and
DEG) is efficiently evaporated through the pores of the molds, functional), making it a universal fabrication route for many
leaving behind a rigid green-body with an added geometrical materials. As mentioned, metals (such as copper) and many
complexity as shown in Fig. 3d. The SEM images of the green- ceramic materials (e.g., non-oxide ceramics) have a high refractive
body proves that the curvatures are maintained without cracks. index, making them unsuitable for photocurable methods of

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Fig. 3 Secondary shaping of the printed structures. (a) Flex-body of a planar 3D printed nickel–zinc ferrite structure about to undergo secondary
shaping. (b) The 3D printed structure takes on the definitive curvatures from the molds. Plasticizer evaporation occurs with the porous polymeric mold.
(c) Debinding and sintering ensures complete binder burn-off and densification of the structures. (d) A rigid green-body is formed at the plasticizer
evaporation stage with a crack-free and porous microstructure. (e) A dense and crack-free nickel–zinc ferrite sintered structure is obtained after a
sintering temperature of 1300 1C for 1 hour. (f) Complex copper structures realized through secondary shaping of planar 3D printed copper structures.

fabrication.30–33 By using this novel self-curable technique, a wide pose a challenge in alternating material stacking in multi-material
range of high-quality metal and ceramic sintered-bodies can be printing. Despite the challenges in achieving sintered multi-
achieved, as shown in Fig. 4 (see also Fig. S6, ESI†). SiC (b phase) materials, Xu and colleagues have successfully printed steel
was doped with 8.0 wt% yttria and 2.0 wt% alumina (E440 grade) structures with other materials used as sacrificial supports.46
as effective sintering additives for preparation of liquid phase Photocurable-based feedstocks, on the other hand, are limited
sintering42–44 (Fig. S7, ESI†). These structures can undergo to materials only with low refractive index.12,25,26 This greatly
secondary shaping through the self-curable technique, comple- limits the material printing choices. Through the proposed self-
menting the current state of 3D printing (ESI,† Movies S1 and S2). curable technique, a wide selection of material combinations is
In addition, the multi-stage heat treatment process allows for viable for multi-material printing, offering more significant
dense microstructures as shown in the SEM images in Fig. 4. The opportunities for deriving functional devices. Harnessing an
resultant copper structures from Fig. 4a have a low resistivity of added dimension of secondary shaping also increases the
approximately 5.0  10 8 O m. From Fig. 4b(ii), sintered zirconia possibility of achieving efficient and specific design requirements
structures with a sintering temperature of 1450 1C for 5 hours for a singular and robust all-in-one device (ESI,† Movies S4–S6 for
have a flexural strength of approximately 340 MPa with a density various multi-material flex-body structures). To obtain dense and
above 98.0% of its theoretical density. Sintered functional crack-free multi-material structures, many considerations have to
ceramics such as AZO, which can only conduct electricity when it is be taken into account. These considerations include processing,
dense,45 are shown to have a high density as well (ESI,† Movie S3). interfacial chemistry, and morphology, to name a few.47 The
adhesion between materials is of great importance to achieve
Achieving multi-material structures dense and crack-free multi-material structures.48 Poor adhesion
This self-curable technique also tackles the challenges of multi- between materials may lead to microstructural cracks and even
material structure fabrication. As highlighted in the beginning, delamination. Contact surface area between two materials can be
the brittleness of aqueous- and solvent-based feedstocks may result maximized by allowing design repetition between alternating
in a brittle green body and disproportional shrinkages.28,29 This may material layers. As demonstrated in Fig. 5a, the last layer of the

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Fig. 4 Universal formulation technique to achieve complex metal, and structural and functional ceramic structures. (a) (from top-down) Flex-body of a
self-cured copper structure, sintered-body of the copper structure, and dense microstructure of copper sintered at 700 1C for 5 hours in a nitrogen
atmosphere. (b)(i) (from top-down) Flex-body of a self-cured silicon carbide structure, sintered-body of the silicon carbide structure, and dense
microstructure of the silicon carbide structure sintered at 1500 1C for 5 hours in a nitrogen atmosphere. (b)(ii) (from top-down) Flex-body of a self-cured
zirconia structure, sintered-body of the zirconia structure, and dense microstructure of zirconia sintered at 1450 1C for 5 hours in air. (b)(iii) (from top-
down) Flex-body of a self-cured alumina-doped zinc oxide (AZO) structure, sintered-body of the AZO structure, and dense microstructure of AZO
sintered at 1300 1C for 5 hours in air.

extruded zirconia paste is at a 451 angle. To increase adhesion could be better understood through further atomic theory
between zirconia and strontium ferrite, the first layer of the modeling and simulations research.
extruded strontium ferrite is designed at a 451 angle as In addition to similar volumetric shrinkage from sintering,
well. Fig. 5b displays a blue-colored zirconia (Blue-YZe) and it is to be noted that the sintering temperatures of both
strontium ferrite structure sintered at 1400 1C for 1 hour (ESI,† materials should be similar.24 As an example, the combination
Movie S7). SEM images of zirconia and strontium ferrite show of a structural ceramic (e.g., alumina) and a functional ceramic
compact microstructures while the EDX shows the structures’ (e.g., AZO) in an integrated device is explored. Alumina has a
interlayers. XRD confirms the detection of zirconium oxide sintering temperature of 1600 1C while alumina-doped zinc
(JCPDS #88-1007) and strontium iron oxide (JCPDS #72-0739) oxide has a sintering temperature of 1400 1C (Fig. S8, ESI†). One
phases. Fig. 5c shows an example of an inter-diffusion method to lower the sintering temperature of alumina is
region between 2 materials. This diffusion can occur especially through the introduction of sintering additives.49,50 2.0 wt%
during high-temperature sintering of multi-materials. In high- titanium dioxide and 4.0 wt% niobium oxide were added into
temperature sintering of multi-materials, phenomena such as alumina to lower the sintering temperature to 1400 1C (Fig. S9,
ridging and inter-diffusion between materials are likely to ESI†). Fig. 5d and e show the possibility of obtaining various
occur.48 A possible method to reduce the amount of inter- complex multi-material structures through their respective
material diffusion is to limit the dwell time at high temperatures green-body and sintered-body images. The proposed technique
during sintering, of which the driving force for inter-material can be further extended to low temperature cofired ceramic
spreading is the highest.48 This control of the spreading kinetics (LTCC) structures.51,52 As a glimpse of this vast and exciting

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Fig. 5 Multi-material printing possibilities using the self-curable robocasting technique. (a) Schematic diagram showing the interaction between the different
materials using the same printing direction during the inter-material printing process. (inset) Digital image showing a sintered blue-colored zirconia and
strontium ferrite structure having the same printing direction. (b) Digital image of an integrated blue-colored zirconia and strontium ferrite multi-material
structure sintered at 1400 1C for 1 hour. SEM images of the zirconia and strontium ferrite microstructure. EDX showing a clear distinction of zirconia, strontium
and iron regions. XRD analysis confirming the phases of zirconia and strontium ferrite. (c) Digital image of the blue-colored zirconia and strontium ferrite
complex structure which underwent a secondary shaping process. SEM images showing dense and crack-free regions despite curvature. Diffusion region
showing a mixture of strontium and zirconia interlayer. (d) Various digital images of the multi-material flex-body. (e) Various digital images of the sintered-body.

field of research, a copper and kaolinite multi-material struc- Funding sources

ture (see also the ESI,† Movie S6) is successfully printed as a
singular device for electronic sensor applications. This research work was financially supported by Saint-Gobain
Research (Shanghai) Co. Ltd (R-284-000-140-597) and NRF-
CRP16-2015-01 (R-284-000-159-281).

Conclusions
Conflicts of interest
The field of integrated material devices (ceramics and metals)
coupled with intricate designs is an exciting yet challenging research The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest
area. Given the importance of integrated metal and ceramic struc- related to this work.
tures for electronic devices, this modified self-curable technique,
with the unique criteria of the selected plasticizers, combined with a
well-controlled multi-stage heat treatment process opens up further
Acknowledgements
research opportunities into achieving LTCC structures and multi- D. Z. and W. J. contributed equally to this work. The authors
material printing. Electrically conductive ceramic sensors that are would like to thank Saint Gobain ZirPro for providing yttria-
capable of withstanding high temperatures can be fabricated and stabilized zirconia (CY3Z-RA and blue-YZe) and alumina (E440
shaped for precise placement. This is but one of the many grade) powders. D. Z. would like to thank the Department of
possibilities that can be realized through this self-curable technique. Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singa-
The ability to achieve a reconfigurable metal and ceramic green- pore for the ongoing NUS research scholarship. W. J. would like to
body to obtain resultant sintered structures with the designed thank Centre of Advanced 2D Materials, National University of
properties will prove useful for advanced integrated material device Singapore for the ongoing NUS research scholarship.
applications in the near future.
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