Preparation of Millimeter-Sized Li2TiO3 Ceramic Pebbles by Droplet Microfluidics and UV Curing

In order to meet the huge demand for millimetre-sized Li 2 TiO 3 ceramic pebbles for future fusion reactors, the aim of this work was to develop a combination of microfluidic and UV curing techniques to greatly improve the preparation efficiency. By employing a cross-junction microfluidic device, large-sized droplets were controllably generated and subsequently subjected to in-situ UV curing, enabling rapid solidification of resin-based ceramic slurries. Systematic investigations revealed critical processing parameters: (1) The rheological behavior of ceramic slurries was governed by solid content and dispersant concentration, directly influencing droplet stability during microfluidic manipulation. (2) UV curing efficacy depended on exposure time(10 ~ 40 s), aging time (30 ~ 120 s) and solid content, and the optimised conditions allow complete cross-linking of 2 mm green pebbles. (3) Post-sintering at an ultra-low heating rate (0.5 °C/min) produced Li 2 TiO 3 ceramic pebbles with a relatively dense microstructure and high crush load(42 N).This microfluidic and UV curing strategy demonstrates potential process controllability and scalability.