Vat Photopolymerization versus Conventional Colloidal Processing Methods in Structural Ceramics: Progress, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Additive manufacturing (AM) has become a versatile and diverse technology that has a significant impact on manufacturing processes. Therefore, ceramic materials have been developed rapidly for use in AM processes. Vat photopolymerization (VPP) is an AM method that enables the production of dense ceramic components with increased dimensional accuracy. In particular, it facilitates the fabrication of small and intricately shaped parts. This review summarizes the research advancements in ceramics prepared via VPP. Special attention is paid to the current status of relevant areas, such as slurry preparation and process optimization, as well as the forming mechanisms, debinding, sintering, performance characterization, and use of VPP-based ceramics. Moreover, earlier studies performed by our research group on numerous VPP-based ceramic aspects are considered. In addition, a concise overview of the differences in forming principles, mechanical performance, advantages, and disadvantages between VPP-based ceramics and conventional colloidal-forming ceramics is presented. Finally, the challenges and prospects of VPP-based ceramics are discussed.