EAGER/GOALI: 3D Printing of Nanostructured Battery Electrodes

这项早期概念探索性研究资助（EAGER）和学术与工业联络资助机会（GOALI）资金将探索将3D打印和纳米纤维静电纺丝相结合以改进电池电极的可行性。熔融沉积成型（FDM）是一种3D打印，其通过在预定路径中逐层熔化、挤出和沉积热塑性聚合物细丝来创建三维物体。 FDM工艺的一个限制是粗糙的特征尺寸（50-400微米）。静电纺丝是一种独特的纳米材料制造技术，可连续生产纳米级纤维，但对其精确位置的控制非常有限。静电纺丝工艺本质上与卷对卷加工兼容，并可能与3D打印兼容。这项研究将探索将3D打印和静电纺丝这两个概念结合起来的可行性，创造一种新的、具有潜在影响力的3D纳米打印。该团队将使用实验和计算模拟相结合的方法来测试电场对纳米纤维空间沉积的影响。这一发现可能会影响高性能材料的制造能力，用于能源，医疗保健和国家安全。一名研究生和几名本科生将被支持进行学术和工业研究。该项目的具体目标是建立一个双喷嘴3D静电纺丝平台，使聚合物导电主体和富硫共聚物活性材料能够在预定义的路径上同时纳米挤出。最终目标是打印锂硫电池的3D阴极，在多个长度尺度上表现出尺寸精度。虽然多种功能材料的重叠挤出将允许纳米级接触以增强电化学性能（反应动力学，导电性和活性材料利用率），但3D打印的设计自由度将使x-y-z控制能够精确地定位，以定制体积宏观尺度特性，如孔隙率和体积密度-商业应用的重要考虑因素。将使用基于有限元的COMSOL模拟来预测电位分布作为各种相关工艺/设备参数的函数。模拟将与实验相结合，旨在建立设备/工艺参数，电场分布，纤维直径和空间沉积控制之间的相关性。该研究的最终目标是与工业合作伙伴合作研究基本电化学行为、电池组装、电池测试和事后材料以及反应物/产品表征。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) and Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) funding will explore the feasibility of combining 3D printing and nanoscale fiber electrospinning to enable improved battery electrodes. Fusion Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a type of 3D printing that creates a three-dimensional object by melting, extruding and depositing a thermoplastic polymer filament in a pre-determined path layer-by-layer. One limitation of the FDM process is the coarse feature size (50-400 microns). Electrospinning is a unique nanomaterial fabrication technique that continuously produces nanoscale fibers but with very limited control over their exact placement. The electrospinning process is inherently compatible with roll-to-roll processing and potentially compatible with 3D printing. This research will explore the feasibility of marrying the two concepts of 3D printing and electrospinning, creating a new and potentially impactful type of 3D nanoprinting. The team will use a combination of experiments and computational simulations to test the effect of electric field on the spatial deposition of nanofibers. The discovery could impact manufacturing capabilities of high performance materials for applications in energy, healthcare and national security. One graduate and several undergraduate students will be supported to conduct academic and industrial research. The specific aim of this project is to build a dual-nozzle 3D electrospinning platform to enable simultaneous nano-extrusion of polymeric conductive host and sulfur-rich copolymer active material in a pre-defined path. The ultimate aim is to print 3D cathodes for Lithium-Sulfur batteries that exhibit dimensional accuracy at multiple length scales. While the overlapping extrusion of multiple functional materials will allow nanoscale contact for enhanced electrochemical performance (reaction kinetics, conductivity, and active material utilization), the design freedom of 3D printing will enable precise x-y-z control over nanofiber positioning for tailoring bulk macroscale properties such as porosity and volumetric density - important considerations for commercial applications. Finite element-based COMSOL simulations will be used to predict the electric potential distribution as a function of various relevant process/equipment parameters. The simulations will be integrated with experiments with the aim to establish correlations between equipment/process parameters, electric field distribution, fiber diameter and spatial deposition control. The final aim of the research will be to study the fundamental electrochemical behavior, battery assembly, battery testing and post mortem material and reactant/product characterization in collaboration with the industrial partner.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.