I-Corps: 3D Printed High Performance Li-ion Batteries

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发三维（3D）打印电池电极，以提高能量容量和动力性能。随着电池成为从电子产品到电动汽车等许多产品不可或缺的一部分，对高性能电池的需求预计将大幅增长。这项提议的技术可能会导致锂离子电池的先进制造技术，非常适合消费和可穿戴电子产品——这一领域正在迅速发展。更持久的高性能电池可以通过延长设备寿命来帮助减少电子垃圾。提供低成本的能源储存选择也可能导致能源的公平获取，这对技术的使用至关重要。此外，这些电池有可能用于电动汽车，这是一个吸引大量投资的高增长行业。通过高性能电池实现电动汽车的增长，可能会对减少碳排放产生重大影响。这一创新可能会将电池开发的方法从材料发现转变为工艺和制造。I-Corps项目的基础是使用先进的气溶胶喷射（AJ）三维（3D）打印技术开发超厚电极（UTEs）。增加电极厚度减少了非活性组件（例如，集流器、分离器等），从而大大提高了能量密度，并显著降低了成本。然而，增加电极厚度会延迟锂的传输，导致功率性能下降和容量损失。使用3D打印可以在不损失性能的情况下创建ute。通过充分利用活性材料的能量存储能力，利用所提出的工艺创建的UTEs已被用于证明改进的充电时间（充电状态为80%时为7.5分钟）和增加的能量密度（高达50%至450 Wh/kg）。此外，与传统叠层结构相比，使用AJ印刷电池的初步结果显示性能有所提高。与薄的固体银块电极相比，银基3D结构电极的比容量增加了400%，面容量增加了100%，电极体积利用率也很高。这项技术的商业化可能会推动电池的发展，并改变电池的制造方式。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of three-dimensional (3D) printed battery electrodes that improve energy capacity and power performance. As batteries become an integral part of many products, from electronics to electric vehicles, the demand for high performance batteries is expected to grow considerably. The proposed technology may lead to advanced manufacturing techniques for Li-ion batteries that are well suited for consumer and wearable electronics – fields that are growing rapidly. Longer lasting high-performance batteries may help reduce e-waste by increasing device life. Supply of low-cost energy storage options also may lead to equitable access to energy that is critical for the use of technology. Additionally, these batteries potentially may be utilized in electric vehicles, which is a high growth industry attracting significant investment. Enabling the growth of electric vehicles through high performance batteries may have a significant impact on reducing carbon emissions. This innovation may shift the approach to battery development from materials discovery to process and manufacturing.This I-Corps project is based on the development of ultra-thick electrodes (UTEs) using advanced aerosol jet (AJ) three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. Increasing electrode thickness reduces non-active components (e.g., current collectors, separator, etc.), resulting in large gains in energy density and a significant cost reduction. Increasing electrode thickness, however, delays the Lithium transport, causing poor power performance and capacity loss. Using 3D printing allows creation of UTEs without a loss of performance. UTEs created using the proposed process have been used to demonstrate improved charge times (7.5 minutes for 80% state-of-charge) and increased energy density (up 50% to 450 Wh/kg), by taking full advantage of the energy storage capability of the active materials. In addition, preliminary results using the AJ printed battery show improved performance compared to conventional laminated structure. The silver-based 3D structured electrodes showed a 400% increase in specific capacity, 100% increase in areal capacity, and a high electrode volume utilization compared to a thin, solid silver block electrode. The proposed commercialization of this technology may advance battery development and change how batteries are manufactured.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.