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Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of Waterloo have used a $350 3D printer to manufacture battery electrodes with precisely engineered internal geometries.
One shape in particular, a diamond lattice, achieved more than twice the mass-transfer performance of a simple grid while also producing much lower hydraulic resistance.
The preprint targets redox flow batteries, a grid-scale energy storage technology where liquid electrolytes are pumped through porous carbon electrodes to charge and discharge. These batteries are promising for storing wind and solar energy because their power and storage capacity can be scaled independently.
But the carbon fiber mats used as electrodes in today’s commercial systems, while offering plenty of surface area, resist fl