IJAMT, Cambridge University and Harvard Medical School: High-Temperature Microsensor Fabricated via Aerosol Jet Printing of Colloidal Platinum Nanoparticle Ink for Continuous Condition Monitoring of Rocket Engine Structures
声明 Statement Content
Introduction
In the aerospace sector, the reliability and safety of rocket engines are of paramount importance. Conventional monitoring methods rely on manual inspection, making it difficult to capture structural deformations in high-temperature environments in real time. Recently, a technology known as aerosol jet printing (AJP) was featured in the International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. Using this technique, scientists have directly printed platinum-nanoparticle-based microsensors onto the surface of rocket engines; these sensors can withstand temperatures as high as 1,290°C, enabling real-time monitoring of structural strain and creep. This article will systematically examine the underlying principles, applications, and future prospects of this technology.
Main text
Working Principle
1. What is colloidal platinum nanoparticle ink?
Colloidal platinum nanoink is a nanoscale ink with conductivity, adhesion, and high-temperature resistance, containing metal nanoparticles that can form robust, conductive microstructures under specific conditions. This ink is characterized by excellent flowability and high processability, making it suitable for high-precision printing applications.
- Manufacturing process: A 99.95% pure platinum electrode is subjected to electrical spark discharge, instantly “exploding” to produce nanoscale platinum particles (1–5 micrometers).
- Composition: platinum particles, ethylene glycol solvent, and a binder (PVP), followed by 60 minutes of ultrasonic agitation to form a uniform suspension.
- Performance: Platinum content of 25% by weight, forming a continuous conductive network after high-temperature sintering.
2. Technical Advantages of Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP)
Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) technology uses a high-speed gas flow to atomize nanoink, generating tiny, uniform ink droplets that are then precisely deposited onto a designated substrate.
The advantages of this process are:
- High resolution: line widths can reach tens of micrometers or even finer;
- Controllable shape: capable of fabricating complex microstructures;
- Low-temperature processing: low thermal sensitivity of the substrate;
- Rapid prototyping: suitable for mass production and rapid prototyping.
3. Process Flow
Preparation stage for aerosol jet printing: formulate inks containing nano-silver or other metal nanoparticles, ensuring their stability and flowability;
Jetting printing process: An aerosol jet printer nozzle precisely deposits tiny ink droplets at predetermined locations; by adjusting the focal length, jetting distance, and pressure, the desired line width and thickness can be achieved.
Subsequent processing: For example, high-temperature annealing—such as heating at 150°C for 2 hours followed by sintering at 1500°C—can fuse the nanoparticles to form a conductive and robust microstructure; meanwhile, by optimizing process parameters, the layer thickness, conductivity, and structural morphology can be precisely controlled.
4. Control of Key Technical Parameters in Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP)
Focusing Ratio: This parameter affects the width and precision of the spray pattern; a longer focal length produces a narrower line, but may reduce stability.
Nozzle distance: This affects the conformity of the spray pattern and the structural quality; the optimal distance is within 5 mm. If the distance is too great, the spray may become dispersed or its shape may be difficult to control.
Number of Layers and Thickness: The layer thickness can be adjusted by stacking multiple layers; with 10 layers, a thickness of 5.3 μm can be achieved. Moreover, once the number of layers is sufficient, the electrical resistance drops to 0.01 Ω, meeting the requirements for micro-strain monitoring.
Technical Advantages
1. High Precision and High Resolution
Traditional sensor fabrication relies on complex microfabrication processes, whereas aerosol jet printing (AJP) can realize intricate structures at the micrometer and even sub-micrometer scale, significantly enhancing the spatial resolution of sensors.
2. Flexibility and Customization
Depending on the specific task requirements, spray parameters can be rapidly adjusted to tailor sensors with a wide range of shapes and performance specifications—eliminating the need for time-consuming mold fabrication.
3. Excellent thermal and chemical stability
After jetting, the material undergoes high-temperature sintering to form a structure with excellent electrical conductivity and superior thermal resistance, making it suitable for high-temperature environments such as rockets and engines.
4. Rapid Manufacturing and Cost Control
Additive manufacturing enables rapid prototyping, shortens production cycles, and reduces costs, making it particularly well suited for small-batch, diversified aerospace applications.
5. Multi-Function Integration
In addition to microstrain sensors, multifunctional sensors for temperature, pressure, corrosion detection, and other applications can also be fabricated on the same platform, enabling intelligent monitoring.
Scope of Application
1. Spacecraft Monitoring
Microsensors fabricated via aerosol jet printing (AJP) can be attached to critical components such as rocket nozzles and engine chips to monitor micro-deformations and micro-strains in real time, thereby providing early warnings of potential structural failures.
2. Real-time monitoring in high-temperature environments
Traditional sensors are prone to failure under extreme high temperatures. In contrast, platinum-ink sensors fabricated via aerosol jet printing (AJP) maintain stable performance even after high-temperature sintering, thereby ensuring flight safety.
3. Intelligent Component Manufacturing
Future aerospace systems will require a large number of microelectronic components, and aerosol jet printing (AJP) using platinum ink holds great potential for the fabrication of micro- and nanostructures, thereby providing essential foundational support for intelligent systems.
4. Future Space Stations and Lunar Bases
Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) technology enables the flexible fabrication of microsensor arrays for environmental monitoring and equipment condition assessment, thereby supporting future deep-space exploration missions.
Illustrated Guide
Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the aerosol jet printing (AJP) process used in this study for fabricating microsensors.
Figure 2. Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) sensors deposited on the A prototype JX4 Inconel 718 reusable lunar landing autogenous engine. B: Surface images of four printed sensor patterns used to measure stress along different displacement axes; C: Scanning electron micrograph of an aerosol jet-printed microstrain sensor directly deposited on the nozzle surface.
Figure 3. Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) technology was used to print a multilayer contact interface for microstrain sensors on the surface of 718 high-temperature alloy.
Figure 4. (A) Scanning electron micrograph of the annealed material after 15 minutes and (B) scanning electron micrograph of the annealed material after 120 minutes.
Figure 5. Relationship between line width, line height, and sheath gas focusing
Figure 6. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the sensor structure printed with different lines as the focusing ratio of the sheath and carrier gas increases from 1 to 6.
Figure 7. Thickness of aerosol jet-printed (AJP) layers as each layer is deposited.
Figure 8. (A) Deposition of two creep sensors used for monitoring x-axis and y-axis creep; (B) Scanning electron micrograph showing surface details of the sensors at high magnification.
Figure 9. A three-dimensional reconstruction of the creep sensor structure reveals the microsurface roughness generated by the sensor. Surface roughness profiles across the sensor’s cross-section are shown.
Conclusion
Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP)–based platinum ink technology, as a significant innovation in the aerospace industry, offers a completely new approach to micro-sensing solutions in complex environments. It not only dramatically enhances sensor accuracy and adaptability but also ushers in a new era of intelligent space monitoring. As the technology continues to mature and the industrial ecosystem becomes more robust, we can expect AJP platinum ink to play an increasingly pivotal role in rocketry, satellite development, space station operations, and even broader high-end manufacturing sectors. We stand at the cusp of intelligent aerospace, poised to witness an unprecedented wave of technological transformation. Let us look forward to the countless breakthroughs that AJP platinum ink will bring!
The Aerosol Jet 200 is a compact, benchtop aerosol jet printing system designed for professional-grade research prototyping, materials and process development, and small-batch custom production. It offers an excellent balance of high print resolution, multi-material compatibility, and ease of use, making it a cost-effective platform ideally suited for universities, research institutions, materials developers, and small-scale electronics manufacturers.
Throughput accuracy/repeatability, printing line dimensions, working area, materials: 3 point-to-point wires per second; on-chip wire stacking up to 48 wires per second; ±5 μm over 25 mm; ±2 μm over 25 mm; variable range 10–860 μm; minimum pitch 20 μm; thickness: 1–10+ μm; 300 × 300 mm (X–Y), 100 mm (Z); conductors: silver, copper, gold, aluminum, nickel, indium (under development); dielectrics: polyimide, UV-curable acrylate photoresist; metamaterials: graphene, perovskite, MXene; motion system and process-control software; vision system and atomizer; XY: linear motors; Z: recirculating ball screws; digital incremental encoders with 0.1 μm resolution; digital recipe control with automatic alarms for process monitoring; CAD/CAM offline programming; easy programming, automation of fabrication, motion, and vision systems; Cognex Vision tools: Blob, Edge, PatMAX; 12 MP USB 3.0; RGB LED illumination; ultrasonic atomization (1–15 kHz) or pneumatic atomization (1–1000 kHz); power supply: 200–250 VAC single-phase, 50/60 Hz; nitrogen: 50 psi at 28 SLPM (max); dimensions: 1168 × 1525 × 2185 mm (46 × 60 × 86 inches); weight: 1250 lbs (567 kg); floor load capacity: 4 in (102 mm) continuous padding thickness.
The Aerosol Jet 5X system is a modular, conformal printing solution for electronic products that meets evolving R&D and manufacturing needs. Driven by both R&D and production requirements, the system addresses increasing demands for advanced product functionality while enabling smaller form factors and reduced weight. With capabilities ranging from planar to multi-axis deposition, it supports rapid prototyping and facilitates small-batch production.
When you wear a smartwatch during exercise, do you often worry about the battery suddenly running out? And as IoT sensors become ubiquitous in homes and cities, how can we provide these tiny devices with a long-lasting, reliable power supply? With the explosive growth of portable and wearable electronics and IoT technologies, the limitations of conventional energy-storage devices—such as their difficulty in achieving miniaturization, high integration, and flexibility—are becoming increasingly apparent. Recently, research teams from the Guangdong–Israel Institute of Technology, Southern University of Science and Technology, and other institutions published a groundbreaking achievement in ACS Applied Energy Materials: using aerosol-jet 3D printing, they successfully fabricated an array of graphene hollow-pillar electrode (HPE)–based micro-supercapacitors (MSCs). These devices not only deliver a high output voltage of 10 V but also boast an ultra-high integration density of 102 cm⁻², while maintaining excellent bending stability, thus opening up new avenues for the development of miniature energy-storage devices.
With the rapid advancement of technology, smart wearable devices are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, integral to our daily lives, sports activities, health monitoring, and even personal safety. However, achieving truly “body-integrated” intelligence hinges on solving the challenge of power supply: conventional batteries are bulky and rigid, making it difficult to incorporate them into soft textile materials; moreover, their lifespan, charge–discharge performance, and wash durability all pose significant challenges. Consequently, developing lightweight, flexible, washable energy-storage devices with superior performance has emerged as a critical breakthrough for advancing the smart-wear industry. Supercapacitors, with their high power density, long cycle life, and rapid charge–discharge capabilities, stand out as an ideal choice. The ultimate goal of the industry is to directly integrate supercapacitors into textiles. Today, we will introduce an exciting technological breakthrough: using aerosol jet printing (AJP) to directly “print” high-performance MXene materials onto fabrics, creating miniature supercapacitors that are both soft and washable while delivering outstanding performance—ushering in a new era of wearable electronics.
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