Development and production with Additive Manufacturing technologies of sol-gel-based Silicon Carbide targets for ultra-high temperature nuclear applications

The topic addressed in this thesis is the production through sol-gel synthesis and additive manufacturing of porous Silicon Carbide targets for Nuclear and high-temperature applications. This study is being carried out since porous silicon carbide has many applications in the mechanical, aerospace, nuclear, and transportation areas. The main objectives of this thesis are the design of the sol-gel synthesis for the material feedstock, the determination of the optimal parameters for the printing stage, the calibration of the experimental apparatus to carry out the thermal treatment, and finally the characterization of the 3D printed samples (X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Nitrogen physisorption). The effect of the composition of the feedstock like solvents, water for hydrolysis, carbon precursor, and silicon precursor was investigated. Moreover, the parameters related to the thermal treatment, such as the time and temperature for the carbothermal reduction on the final yield of Silicon Carbide were investigated. The parameters related to the printing stage have been studied, to assure the best accuracy for the printed structures.