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

Abstract

Additive manufacturing also known as 3D printing is being utilised in electrochemistry to reproducibly develop complex geometries with conductive properties. In this study, we explored if the electrochemical behavior of 3D printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)/carbon black electrodes was influenced by printing direction. The electrodes were printed in both horizontal and vertical directions. The horizsontal direction resulted in a smooth surface (HPSS electrode) and a comparatively rougher surface (HPRS electrode) surface. Electrodes were characterized using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and chronoamperometry. For various redox couples, the vertical printed (VP) electrode showed enhanced current response when compared the two electrode surfaces generated by horizontal print direction. No differences in the capacitive response was observed, indicating that the conductive surface area of all types of electrodes were identical. The VP electrode had reduced charge transfer resistance and uncompensated solution resistance when compared to the HPSS and HPRS electrodes. Overall, electrodes printed in a vertical direction provide enhanced electrochemical performance and our study indicates that print orientation is a key factor that can be used to enhance sensor performance.

Additive manufacturing for energy storage: Methods, designs and material selection for customizable 3D printed batteries and supercapacitors

“…Solidification of each layer is principally based on crystallization and chain entanglement of the polymer, however, addition of additive materials can affect the properties and solidification process of the matrix polymer. Common additives used in polymer matrix for EESDs are various conductive materials like ABS/graphene [26], ABS/carbon [27], PLA/graphene [28] and even PLA/LTO/carbon and PLA/LFP/carbon [29]* which are essential for electrode fabrication in lithium ion batteries. A good example is a recent study [30]** where three conductive agents (Super-P, MWCNTs, graphene) and two active materials (Lithium titanate, lithium manganese oxide) were blended with PLA to test the printability, conductivity and charge storage capacity of the new composite.…”

Evolution of 3D Printing Methods and Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage

“…[56,68] They have been utilized in various 3D printing techniques (extrusion-based, inkjet printing, IJP; selective laser sintering (SLS)) in the form of polymer-based conductive composites used for fabrication of electrically conductive structures, supercapacitor electrodes, Li-ion battery electrodes. [68][69][70][71][72] Carbon nanotubes are promising candidates for current collector and electrode 3D printing due to high carrier mobility, superior mechanical strength and large specific surface area that can be functionalized for improved energy storage performance. [73,74] Depending on the structure, CNT can be either conductors or semiconductors.…”

Trace Analysis of Heavy Metals (Cd, Pb, Hg) Using Native and Modified 3D Printed Graphene/Poly(Lactic Acid) Composite Electrodes

“…This methodology was adopted to make use of the priming filament that is typically discarded during print set-up. An additional advantage is that the filament is not impacted by print orientation, which Patel et al showed influenced heterogeneous electron transfer (HET) kinetics [48]. The diameter of the extruded material is approximately 0.6 mm under the settings employed.…”