Laser-Induced Tar-Mediated Sintering of Metals and Refractory Carbides in Air

Systems and methods for manufacturing sintered materials are disclosed. Metal nano- and microparticles can be sintered to form thin films. The metals are sintered in the presence of a binder such as a tar, e.g., steam cracker tar (SCT), which has strong absorbing and antioxidant properties that allow the metal particles to retain heat. Retention of heat by the binder can allow the sintering to occur at ambient temperatures. In some embodiments, the mixture and/or the resulting films can be used in additive manufacturing processes to build various components from the layers of thin film manufactured from the presently disclosed methods.