A study of 3D printed active carbon electrode for the manufacture of electric double-layer capacitors

Abstract

This paper presents a novel process and manufacturing system for the fabrication of Electric Double-Layer Capacitors (EDLCs) as energy storage devices. It shows an approach for printing multilayer EDLC components using 3D printing technology. A dual nozzle deposition system was used based on a fused deposition modelling (FDM) process. This process allows layers of activated carbon (AC) slurry, gel electrolyte and composite solid filaments to be printed with high precision. This paper describes the detailed process of deposition of the AC and gel electrolyte using the dual nozzle system. It describes the energy storage performance of the printed supercapacitors in relation to differences in thickness in the AC printed layers. A supercapacitor based on printed AC and composite materials displays a specific capacitance of 38.5 mF g -1 when measured at a potential rate change of 20 mV s -1 and a current density of 0.136 A g -1 .

The effects of printing orientation on the electrochemical behaviour of 3D printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)/carbon black electrodes

“…As capacitance is directly proportional to the electroactive area at the electrode surface 19 , we measured C dl by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance sprectroscopy (EIS) techniques as shown in Fig. 3 .…”

Three-Dimensional Printed Electrode and Its Novel Applications in Electronic Devices

“… 20 also used a similar printing approach with activated carbon slurries to construct a multilayer electrode material, which exhibited a capacitive performance of 68.7 mF at a scan rate of 20 mV s −1 . Although these direct-writing protocols hold promise for fabricating electrode materials, in the majority of scenarios, the formulation and optimization of the printable/extrudable ink delays the rapid manufacturing process and limits the choice of material to be printed 14 , 19 , 20 . Furthermore, the additional curing or drying process of the ink is non-favorable for creating a freestanding 3D printed electrochemical system.…”

Recent advances and perspectives of 3D printed micro-supercapacitors: from design to smart integrated devices

“…Additionally, the electrochemical performance of the extruded thermoplastic materials can be improved by deposition with functional materials [e.g., polypyrrole (PPy) and MXene] or electrically conductive metals (e.g., Au and Ag). [45][46][47][48][49][50][51] In addition, the FDM technique exhibits a low printing resolution of 50-200 mm, and less flexibility in terms of multi-material capability when compared with the DIW technique. 52 In short, the efficacy of 3D printing can be evaluated by the available materials, printing resolution, advantages and disadvantages.…”