Laser additive manufacturing of Si/ZrO_(2)tunable crystalline phase 3D nanostructures

The current study is directed to the rapidly developing field of inorganic material 3D object production at nano-/micro scale.The fabrication method includes laser lithography of hybrid organic-inorganic materials with subsequent heat treatment leading to a variety of crystalline phases in 3D structures.In this work,it was examined a series of organometallic polymer precursors with different silicon(Si)and zirconium(Zr)molar ratios,ranging from 9:1 to 5:5,prepared via sol-gel method.All mixtures were examined for perspective to be used in 3D laser manufacturing by fabricating nano-and micro-feature sized structures.Their spatial downscaling and surface morphology were evaluated depending on chemical composition and crystallographic phase.The appearance of a crystalline phase was proven using single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis,which revealed a lower crystallization temperature for microstructures compared to bulk materials.Fabricated 3D objects retained a complex geometry without any distortion after heat treatment up to 1400℃.Under the proper conditions,a wide variety of crystalline phases as well as zircon(ZrSiO_(4)-a highly stable material)can be observed.In addition,the highest new record of achieved resolution below 60 nm has been reached.The proposed preparation protocol can be used to manufacture micro/nano-devices with high precision and resistance to high temperature and aggressive environment.