Additive manufacturing of LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 battery electrode material via vat photopolymerization precursor approach

Abstract

Additive manufacturing, also called 3D printing, has the potential to enable the development of flexible, wearable and customizable batteries of any shape, maximizing energy storage while also reducing dead-weight and volume. In this work, for the first time, three-dimensional complex electrode structures of high-energy density LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NMC 111) material are developed by means of a vat photopolymerization (VPP) process combined with an innovative precursor approach. This innovative approach involves the solubilization of metal precursor salts into a UV-photopolymerizable resin, so that detrimental light scattering and increased viscosity are minimized, followed by the in-situ synthesis of NMC 111 during thermal post-processing of the printed item. The absence of solid particles within the initial resin allows the production of smaller printed features that are crucial for 3D battery design. The formulation of the UV-photopolymerizable composite resin and 3D printing of complex structures, followed by an optimization of the thermal post-processing yielding NMC 111 is thoroughly described in this study. Based on these results, this work addresses one of the key aspects for 3D printed batteries via a precursor approach: the need for a compromise between electrochemical and mechanical performance in order to obtain fully functional 3D printed electrodes. In addition, it discusses the gaps that limit the multi-material 3D printing of batteries via the VPP process.

Recyclable 3D‐Printed Aqueous Lithium‐Ion Battery

“…And in 3D‐printed cells using various space filling [ 35 ] and fractal geometries, the infilling of active material that is accessible and without excessive internal resistance is important for a reliable cell. Here have been recent reports of Vat‐P printing [ 24,26 ] of electrodes with active materials directly within the resins where resin‐soluble precursors approaches are used, and this shows the sensitive relationship between the printed material quality and the mechanical properties. This trade‐off can render directly printed materials, in some case, to be brittle particularly when porous.…”

“…That work also highlighted the potential of SLA‐based printing for constructing an ultrathin and mechanical robust lithium‐ion battery (LIB). More recently, Martinez et al showed [ 26 ] that Vat‐P can be used to directly print battery electrodes containing LiNi 1/3 Mn 1/3 Co 1/3 O 2 (NMC 111) by carefully choosing the precursor and accommodating changes to light scattering in the composite resin to ensure good print quality.…”

Multiprocess 3D printing of sodium-ion batteries via vat photopolymerization and direct ink writing

“…As part of the efforts for SIBs manufacturing, researchers are exploring additive manufacturing (also called 3D printing) as an efficient manufacturing tool to produce on-demand 3D batteries [9][10][11][12][13]. With all commercial batteries being composed of an anode and a cathode separated by an electrolyte in a 2D stacked arrangement, 3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing of batteries by allowing the production of complex and detailed structures, which can serve as energy storage devices and potentially as load-bearing structures [14]. From the battery performance standpoint, 3D printing can revolutionize the production of shape-conformable SIBs as a dramatic increase in the electrode's surface area and ion diffusion in three dimensions theoretically lead to improved power performance [15].…”

What Would Battery Manufacturing Look Like on the Moon and Mars?

“…The addition of an adequate plasticizer into the filament is critical to allow the introduction of a high loading of active material and conductive additives . Other additive manufacturing technologies, namely vat photopolymerization (VPP) ,− and powder bed fusion (PBF), , have been recently employed to print battery components. A VPP printer is fed with a liquid photocurable resin, employed as material feedstock, and selectively exposed to a UV light to build 3D structures.…”