Additive manufacturing pathways for polymer-derived ceramics: processing, structure, and function

Additive manufacturing (AM) of polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) offers a chemistry-driven route to architected, high-temperature components that are difficult to realize by conventional powder-based forming and machining. By coupling preceramic polymers (PCPs) with digital design, AM-enabled PDC processing provides control over composition, architecture, and microstructure from the molecular scale upward. This review synthesizes recent progress in PCP chemistry and ink and resin formulation, filler strategies to mitigate shrinkage, cracking, and porosity, and AM pathways mapped to ISO/ASTM 52900, including vat photopolymerization, material extrusion, material jetting, BJ, powder bed fusion, and sheet lamination. Emphasis is placed on polymer-to-ceramic transformation, clarifying the roles of crosslinking, gas evolution, and bond reorganization during pyrolysis, and on how equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermal schedules govern phase evolution and densification. Emerging 4D printing concepts that introduce time-dependent shape or property changes prior to or during ceramization are discussed as extensions of AM-enabled PDC processing. Within this broader framework, pathways toward ultra-high-temperature-ceramic-relevant compositions are highlighted as stringent test cases for dimensional stability and phase control. Finally, the review surveys application spaces and outlines key challenges and opportunities for scalable, multifunctional AM-PDC systems.