Triply Periodic Minimal Surface Design And Resin Engineering For Hybrid Piezoelectric Ceramic Composites

Chapter I:This chapter investigates Barium Titanate (BTO)-epoxy composites reinforced with 3D-printed zirconia triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) scaffolds. Gyroid and Primitive lattices fabricated by digital light processing (DLP) were compared with a bulk composite. The Primitive architecture showed the greatest improvement, with an elastic modulus ~ 20% higher than the Gyroid and ~ 5% higher than the bulk. Normalized piezoelectric coefficients increased substantially, with d33 enhanced by ~ 2750% and g33 enhanced by ~ 120% relative to the bulk. Under cyclic loading, the Primitive lattice generated specific voltages ~ 575% greater than the bulk and ~ 60% greater than the Gyroid. These findings demonstrate that TPMS-reinforced composites can effectively couple mechanical stiffness with amplified electromechanical response. Chapter II: This chapter demonstrates how additive manufacturing enables architected piezoelectric materials with tunable geometry and enhances capacitive response. It introduces Field’s Metal (32.2% Bi, 51% Indium, 16.5% Tin) infiltration as a means to enhance electrical conductivity and charge transport in 3D-printed barium titanate (BTO) lattices. A 40 vol% BTO resin (BT40) was developed for digital light processing of gyroid architectures with controlled porosity. After debinding, sintering to 96% theoretical density, and thermal poling (d33 ≈ 180 pC/N), the lattices were infiltrated with molten Field’s Metal below the Curie temperature, forming interconnected metal pathways. Rheological and curing analyses confirmed shear-thinning behavior and adequate curing depth, while thermal and microstructural characterization verified complete binder removal and tetragonal phase formation.