A research team led by Rahul Panat, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, has teamed up with the University of Missouri to develop a new method for 3D printed battery electrodes that creates a microscopically controlled pore. Metal structure to achieve higher battery capacity and charge and discharge speed.

In a lithium ion battery, an electrode having a porous structure can provide a stronger storage capacity. This is because this structure allows a large amount of lithium ions to enter the electrode, which enables higher electrode utilization and higher storage capacity. In ordinary batteries, 30% to 50% of the electrodes are not available. We have overcome this problem with 3D printing technology. The micro-electrode structure of 3D printing enables lithium ions to be transported more efficiently in the electrode, which also improves the charging speed of the battery. The micro-metal structure used as a lithium-ion battery electrode can increase the specific capacity by a factor of four and double the area capacity compared to conventional solid-state batteries.