Composite structures with ordered three-dimensional (3D) continuous interpenetrating phases

• US 9,933,213 B1
• Filed: 06/06/2012
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Jacobsen, Alan J., Barvosa-Carter, William B., Gross, Adam F., Cumberland, Robert, Kirby, Kevin W., Kisailus, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Penny, Tabatha
• Application Number:
  US13/490,376
• Time in Patent Office: 2,127 Days
• Field of Search: 4273762
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/06 Metallic powder characterised by the shape of the particles nanosized particles B22F1/054
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00663 Production of light guides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/0032 one of the precursor materials being a monolithic element having approximately the same dimensions as the final article, e.g. a paper sheet which after carbonisation will react with silicon to form a porous silicon carbide porous body
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/023 the latent heat storage material being enclosed in granular particles or dispersed in a porous, fibrous or cellular structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12002 Three-dimensional structures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/138 by using polymerisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/14 Thermal energy storage

Abstract

A method of forming a three-dimensional (3D) composite structure includes: securing a mask between a collimated light source and a volume of a photo-monomer; directing a collimated light beam from the collimated light source to the mask for a period of exposure time such that a portion of the collimated light beam passes through the mask and is guided by a plurality of apertures into the photo-monomer to form a plurality of waveguides through a portion of the volume of the photo-monomer; removing any uncured photo-monomer to leave behind a three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure to define an open volume and a structure of a first continuous material of the three-dimensional composite material; and placing a second continuous material in the open volume, wherein the second continuous material and the first continuous material share an interface between each other, and wherein the interface is everywhere continuous.

Claims

1. A method of forming a three-dimensional composite material, the method comprising:

securing a volume of a photo-monomer;

securing a mask between at least one collimated light source and the volume of the photo-monomer, the mask having a plurality of apertures;

directing a collimated light beam from the at least one collimated light source to the mask for a period of exposure time such that a portion of the collimated light beam passes through the mask and is guided by the plurality of apertures into the photo-monomer to form a plurality of waveguides through a portion of the volume of the photo-monomer;

removing any uncured photo-monomer to leave behind a three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure to define an open volume and a structure of a first continuous material of the three-dimensional composite material; and

placing a second continuous material in the open volume to substantially fill the open volume of at least one cell defined by the first continuous material,

wherein the second continuous material and the first continuous material share an interface between each other and have physical properties differing from each other, and

wherein the interface is everywhere continuous.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first continuous material is formed from a first material selected from the group consisting of a polymer material, a carbon material, a metal material, and a ceramic material, and wherein the second continuous material is formed from a second material selected from the group consisting of a polymer material, a carbon material, a metal material, and a ceramic material.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the metal material of the first material or the second material is formed by coating at least one surface of the three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure with an aqueous solution comprising a metal salt and reducing the aqueous solution on the at least one surface.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the metal material of the first material or the second material is formed by electroplating and/or electroless plating of a metal selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), gold (Au), silver (Ag), ruthenium (Ru), platinum (Pt), rhodium (Rh), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the ceramic material of the first material or the second material is formed by:

coating the three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure with a ceramic gelcasting solution; and

polymerizing the ceramic gelcasting solution by adding a catalyst to the ceramic gelcasting solution such that the ceramic gelcasting solution is solidified, wherein the ceramic gelcasting solution comprises a dispersed monomer; and

removing the dispersed monomer by heating the coated three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the ceramic material of the first material or the second material is formed by:

forming a green body by filling the open volume of the three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure with a ceramic slurry; and

heating the green body to provide sintering and additional mechanical strength.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the ceramic material of the first material or the second material is formed by:

coating the three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure with a solution comprising a preceramic polymer; and

heating the coated three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure in an inert environment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first continuous material or the second continuous material is formed by performing chemical vapor deposition of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, hafnium carbide, chromium carbide, boron nitride, boron carbide, aluminum oxide, titanium, titanium diboride, titanium nitride, zirconium dioxide, titanium carbide, titanium carbonitride, tantalum, tantalum carbide, tantalum nitride, nobelium, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first continuous material is a carbon material.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the carbon material is carbon.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first continuous material is a carbon material and wherein the second continuous material is a ceramic material.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the carbon material is carbon and wherein the ceramic material is silicon carbide.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

removing the carbon material to leave behind the ceramic material.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the ceramic material is silicon carbide.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first continuous material and the second continuous material are both solid.

16. A method of forming a three-dimensional composite material, the method comprising:

securing a volume of a photo-monomer;

securing a mask between at least one collimated light source and the volume of the photo-monomer, the mask having a plurality of apertures;

directing a collimated light beam from the at least one collimated light source to the mask for a period of exposure time such that a portion of the collimated light beam passes through the mask and is guided by the plurality of apertures into the photo-monomer to form a plurality of waveguides through a portion of the volume of the photo-monomer;

removing any uncured photo-monomer to leave behind a three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure to define an open volume and a structure of a first continuous material of the three-dimensional composite material; and

placing a second continuous material and a third continuous material in the open volume to substantially fill the open volume of at least one cell defined by the first continuous material,

wherein the first continuous material and the third continuous material share a first interface between each other and have physical properties differing from each other, and the first interface between the third continuous material and the second continuous material is everywhere continuous, and

wherein the third continuous material and the second continuous material share a second interface between each other and have physical properties differing from each other, and the second interface between the third continuous material and the second continuous material is everywhere continuous.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first continuous material is formed from a first material selected from the group consisting of a polymer material, a carbon material, a metal material, and a ceramic material, wherein the second continuous material is formed from a second material selected from the group consisting of a polymer material, a carbon material, a metal material, and a ceramic material, and wherein the third continuous material is formed from a third material selected from the group consisting of a polymer material, a carbon material, a metal material, and a ceramic material.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first continuous material is a carbon material, wherein the second continuous material is a ceramic material, and wherein the third continuous material is a metal material.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the carbon material is carbon, wherein the ceramic material is silicon carbide, and wherein the metal material is aluminum (Al).

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

removing the carbon material to leave behind the ceramic material.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the ceramic material is silicon carbide, and wherein the metal material is aluminum (Al).