Silica film deposited on diamond-structured polymer microlattices by dip coating

The specific strength of lightweight cellular materials mainly depends on their structure and composition. In this study, polymer microlattices with diamond structures were fabricated by 3D printing. Then, silica materials with high strength were covered on the polymer microlattices using a dip-coating method, and we obtained polymer/SiO2 microlattices, which had the properties of low density, high compressive strength, and good thermostability. Moreover, three types of silica films with different thickness, i.e., 10.1 μm, 18.3 μm, and 23.6 μm, were deposited on the microlattices. The compressive strength of the polymer/SiO2 microlattices can be improved upon increasing the thickness of the silica coating. The thermostability of the polymer can be enhanced after coating with the silica materials and was improved more dramatically with a thicker coating. Light hollow-tube SiO2 microlattices with a density of 14.7 kg m−3 were also fabricated by calcining the polymer template at high temperatures.