Additive Manufacturing Next Generation Supergen Energy Storage Devices

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Energy storage is an integral part of consumer lifestyles and there is continued demand in this area to power electronic devices. Related to this is having the ability to store energy produced by renewable sources such as through the generation via solar panels, and having it readily available to meet power demands is a challenge which if meet, would represent a major breakthrough in electricity distribution. Currently such energy storage devices are not fit for purpose mainly due to their performance characteristics (energy output, energy storage etc) being insufficient for end user demands.Globally researchers are constantly developing new materials that have the potential to revolution energy storage but that is only part of the story. The ability to control the architectures of such energy devices is critical and important to obtain maximum performance characteristics. This is an often overlooked parameter which should go hand-in-hand with material design and production.One technology that is advancing rapidly is 3D printing which has the benefit of being able to produce unique structures without masks or templates, quickly, easily, and affordably, on the spot and as needed for a wide variety of applications ranging from industrial parts to biomedical organs. As applications of this technology expand and prices of 3D printers drop, the first big implication is that more goods will be manufactured at or close to their point of purchase or consumption, indicating that in the future household-level production might be viable.We propose to take 3D printing and provide the ability for scientists to 3D print energy storage devices rapidly, on the spot and to develop a novel and advanced bottom-up fabrication route to produce energy storage devices. This will allow unique 3D printed structures for supercapacitors and batteries which will give rise to significant benefits in the energy storage characteristics of these devices. This research project will also demonstrate engineering scale-up solutions for the pre-commercial manufacture and incorporate new SUPERGEN energy storage materials into our manufacturing processes to provide rapid fabrication and device implementation leaving a legacy of advanced energy storage device manufacturing in the UK, which can be exploited for its benefit.