Next‐Generation Additive Manufacturing of Complete Standalone Sodium‐Ion Energy Storage Architectures

• Published in: Advanced energy materials 2019-03, Vol.9 (11), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Down, Michael P., Martínez‐Periñán, Emiliano, Foster, Christopher W., Lorenzo, Encarnación, Smith, G. C., Banks, Craig E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3D printing; Additive manufacturing; advanced materials; Batteries; Composite materials; energy; Energy storage; High density storage; Manufacturing; Porous materials; Production methods; Prototyping; Three dimensional composites; Three dimensional printing; Titanium dioxide
• ISSN: 1614-6832; 1614-6840
• DOI: 10.1002/aenm.201803019

The first entirely AM/3D‐printed sodium‐ion (full‐cell) battery is reported herein, presenting a paradigm shift in the design and prototyping of energy‐storage architectures. AM/3D‐printing compatible composite materials are developed for the first time, integrating the active materials NaMnO2 and TiO2 within a porous supporting material, before being AM/3D‐printed into a proof‐of‐concept model based upon the basic geometry of commercially existing AA battery designs. The freestanding and completely AM/3D‐fabricated device demonstrates a respectable performance of 84.3 mAh g−1 with a current density of 8.43 mA g−1; note that the structure is typically comprised of 80% thermoplastic, but yet, still works and functions as an energy‐storage platform. The AM/3D‐fabricated device is critically benchmarked against a battery developed using the same active materials, but fabricated via a traditional manufacturing method utilizing an ink‐based/doctor‐bladed methodology, which is found to exhibit a specific capacity of 98.9 mAh m−2 (116.35 mAh g−1). The fabrication of fully AM/3D‐printed energy‐storage architectures compares favorably with traditional approaches, with the former providing a new direction in battery manufacturing. This work represents a paradigm shift in the technological and design considerations in battery and energy‐storage architectures. The first case of a fully 3D printed energy storage architecture utilizing commonly available filament deposition 3D printing technology is represented. A 3D printed sodium ion battery is shown to be highly competitive with orthodox printing methodologies. This demonstrates a paradigm shift in the considerations into energy storage research and development, removing the structural and dimensional constraint that have previously applied.