3D‐Printed Silicone Materials with Hydrogen Getter Capability

Abstract

Organic getters are used to reduce the amount of reactive hydrogen in applications such as nuclear plants and transuranic waste. The present study examines the performance of getter loaded silicone elastomers in reducing reactive hydrogen gas from the gas phase and their capability of being This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. 23D printed using Direct Ink Writing techniques. The samples are placed in closed vessels and exposed to hydrogen atmosphere at pressures of 580 torr and 750 mtorr and at a temperature of 25 ºC.The hydrogen consumption is measured as a function of time and normalized to getter concentration in the polymer. The performance of the getter-loaded silicone elastomer containing DEB as the organic getter and Pd/C catalyst (ratio of 3:1 DEB to catalyst) decreases with increasing the resin's curing temperature. Chemical analysis suggests that DEB reacts with the silicone resin at high temperatures. In addition, it is demonstrated that the increased surface area of 3D printed composites results in improved getter performance.

Functional 3D Printed Polymeric Materials

“…In SLA and DIW, polymers are formulated to meet specific properties, most importantly rheological. For example, each layer should be self-supporting and should allow for the printing of multiple layers while retaining the designed geometry [14,[19][20][21]. Rheologically, this corresponds to a resin that has a yield stress at high oscillatory stresses, such that the resin is solid-like at rest (low stress) and liquid like during flow (high stress) [7].…”

“…The addition of fillers, such as silica [22,23] and carbon fibers [24,25], is often used to generate materials with high mechanical strength. Furthermore, the incorporation of additives enhances materials properties by adding functionality to the parts that include getter [20], UV and radiation resistance [26][27][28], and anti-fouling properties [29][30][31].…”

Preparation and Characterization of a Novel Vinyl Polysiloxane Getter for Hydrogen Elimination

“…Hydrogen and its isotopes are highly flammable and are known to form explosive mixtures when their concentration in air reaches beyond 4% (volume fraction) [ 1 ]. The accumulation of hydrogen is detrimental in confined spaces where diffusion is limited.…”

“…While both metal [ 3 , 4 , 5 ] and organic getters [ 2 ] have been developed and are known to be able to scavenge hydrogen, organic getters present better features in low concentration conditions because of their fast and irreversible nature of reaction. The most successful and widely used organic getters up to now have been mixtures of the alkyne (1,6-diphenoxy-2,4-hexadiyne (DPPE) and 1,4-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene (DEB)) and a noble metal catalyst [ 1 , 6 ]. The hydrogenation of these alkynes in the presence of precious metal is fast and irreversible [ 7 , 8 ], which makes them ideal for scenarios where hydrogen release occurs from slow and continuous sources (e.g., the radiolytic decomposition of moisture).…”

“…Powdered getters are difficult to handle and are usually bound into pellets to make them adaptable for different purposes; however, pellets are still brittle and incompatible with environments that feature complex shapes and sizes. Polymer getters would find better use in these conditions due to their processibility, where they can be readily manufactured into various shapes and forms [ 1 , 11 , 12 ]; however, polymer getters are relatively unexplored and their recorded performance is far from perfect. Sheppod et al reported the preparation and characterization of a polymer getter based on polybutadiene.…”