Multiscale Manufacturing for Advanced Energy Storage Devices

该补助金支持基础研究，为储能设备等应用的多尺度三维结构的制造提供新知识。该项目研究了三维微铸造和三维（3D）打印的组合，以实现多组件，多孔结构和设备的制造。大多数3D打印和微型铸造工艺需要高温，如果控制不当，可能会导致热损伤或零件变形。这项研究调查了室温过程，从而避免损坏和变形。多尺度制造方法涉及对用于诸如先进能量存储系统的设备的多材料结构中的微观结构和宏观结构的控制。当由导电材料制成时，三维多孔结构在能源、医疗保健、生物医学、航空航天、化学和汽车工业中具有应用，这有益于美国经济和社会。这项研究涉及多个学科，包括先进制造，电化学，控制理论和材料科学。多学科方法有助于扩大妇女和代表性不足的群体参与研究，并对工程教育和培训产生积极影响。该项目研究了一种电场辅助的3D微铸造工艺，以制造电池电极，并结合3D打印工艺来制造锂离子电池等先进储能设备的隔板。这种新工艺有可能克服传统制造中各向异性微观结构、残余应力、层间粘合差、分辨率差和粗糙表面的局限性。本计画利用原子模拟、物理预测模型与实验验证，研究电场辅助微铸造过程中孔隙形成与粒子排列的机制。该团队测试了流变特性和电场强度是微铸造结构中孔隙率和颗粒排列的决定因素的假设，并建立了工艺参数和微结构特征之间的关系。该项目探讨了微铸造如何控制颗粒网络的宏观结构，电场如何控制颗粒网络的微观结构，以及这种合作的多尺度控制如何提高储能设备的能量和功率密度。此外，该研究还研究了局部激光加热如何保持精细结构并增强组成材料的机械完整性。研究了材料和几何形状对3D打印分离器的安全性和离子传输的影响。该项目依赖于多尺度的理解和控制，使电极制造和工程发生变革。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 grant supports fundamental research that contributes new knowledge in the manufacturing of multiscale three-dimensional structures for applications such as energy storage devices. This project investigates a combination of three-dimensional micro-casting and three-dimensional (3D) printing to enable the fabrication of multi-component, porous structures and devices. Most 3D printing and micro-casting processes require high temperatures that can cause thermal damage or part distortion if not properly controlled. This research investigates room temperature processes thus avoiding damage and distortion. The multiscale manufacturing approach involves control of the microstructure and macrostructure in multi-material structures for devices such as advanced energy storage systems. When made from conductive materials, the three-dimensional porous structures have applications in energy, healthcare, biomedical, aerospace, chemical and automotive industries, which benefits the U.S. economy and society. This research involves several disciplines including advanced manufacturing, electrochemistry, control theory, and materials science. The multi-disciplinary approach helps broaden participation of women and underrepresented groups in research and positively impacts engineering education and training. The project studies an electric field-assisted 3D micro-casting process to fabricate battery electrodes combined with a 3D printing process to fabricate the separators for advanced energy storage devices such as Li-ion batteries. This novel process has the potential to overcome the limitations of anisotropic microstructures, residual stresses, poor inter-layer bonding, poor resolution, and rough surfaces in conventional manufacturing. This project studies the mechanisms of porosity formation and particle alignment during electric field-assisted micro-casting using atomistic simulations, physics-based predictive models and experimental verification. The team tests the hypothesis that rheological properties and electric field strengths are the determining factors for porosity and particle alignment in micro-cast structures and establishes relationships between process parameters and microstructural features. The project explores how micro-casting governs the macrostructure and electric-field governs the microstructure of the particle network, and how this cooperative multiscale control can improve energy and power density for energy storage devices. Further, the study investigates how local laser heating maintains the fine structures and enhances the mechanical integrity of the constituent materials. The effect of material and geometry on safety and ion transport in the 3D-printed separator is studied. The project relies on multiscale understanding and control, enabling transformative change in electrode manufacturing and engineering.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.