Modular Critical Element Recycling Platform Using a Nanoporous Additively Manufactured Gyroid

This article presents a modular recycling platform for critical elements that integrates nanoporous triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) gyroid structures fabricated via high‐resolution 3D printing. The system exploits a hierarchical architecture, with macroscopic channels from the TPMS geometry and nanoscale porosity from polymerization‐induced phase separation (PIPS) during the printing process, to provide efficient mass transfer and high critical element binding capacity within a structurally robust framework. A systematic study was conducted to investigate the effects of gyroid wall thickness and porosity on mechanical performance and diffusion behavior. Three resin formulations with varying porogen compositions (cyclohexanol and decanol) and four wall thicknesses were fabricated using digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing. Increasing porosity enhances diffusion rates but compromises mechanical strength, while thicker walls improve structural integrity but limit permeability. Among all tested configurations, the gyroid structure with a 0.9 mm wall hthickness fabricated from 1:1 cyclohexanol:decanol (Mix‐2 resin) achieved the best balance between diffusion efficiency and mechanical stability. This study demonstrates the feasibility of manufacturing hierarchical, tunable, and scalable recycling platforms via additive manufacturing, providing a promising foundation for selective recovery of critical materials such as cobalt and lithium in sustainable circular economy systems.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Engineering Materials
Published
2026-08-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202600003
Primary Topic
Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Modular Critical Element Recycling Platform Using a Nanoporous Additively Manufactured Gyroid

Mert Gülçür, Zachariah A. Page, Gao Xiangyu, Michael Cullinan et al.
Advanced Engineering Materials
Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies
article

Modular Critical Element Recycling Platform Using a Nanoporous Additively Manufactured Gyroid

Mert Gülçür, Zachariah A. Page, Gao Xiangyu, Michael Cullinan, Keldy S. Mason, Robert N. Lamb, Prince Alvin Fofanah
article en

Abstract

This article presents a modular recycling platform for critical elements that integrates nanoporous triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) gyroid structures fabricated via high‐resolution 3D printing. The system exploits a hierarchical architecture, with macroscopic channels from the TPMS geometry and nanoscale porosity from polymerization‐induced phase separation (PIPS) during the printing process, to provide efficient mass transfer and high critical element binding capacity within a structurally robust framework. A systematic study was conducted to investigate the effects of gyroid wall thickness and porosity on mechanical performance and diffusion behavior. Three resin formulations with varying porogen compositions (cyclohexanol and decanol) and four wall thicknesses were fabricated using digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing. Increasing porosity enhances diffusion rates but compromises mechanical strength, while thicker walls improve structural integrity but limit permeability. Among all tested configurations, the gyroid structure with a 0.9 mm wall hthickness fabricated from 1:1 cyclohexanol:decanol (Mix‐2 resin) achieved the best balance between diffusion efficiency and mechanical stability. This study demonstrates the feasibility of manufacturing hierarchical, tunable, and scalable recycling platforms via additive manufacturing, providing a promising foundation for selective recovery of critical materials such as cobalt and lithium in sustainable circular economy systems.

Advanced Engineering Materials
University of Warwick (GB), The University of Texas at Austin (US)
Welch Foundation
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies
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