(190h) Additive Manufacturing of Digitally Optimized Porous Electrodes for Enhanced Energy Efficiency

Advances in additive manufacturing, topology optimization, and high-performance computing have enabled the fabrication and discovery of detailed architectures that can exceed the performance of conventional devices. In this presentation, we demonstrate the first application of these techniques to manufacture optimized porous electrodes that minimize power loss in a model flow battery. The electrodes are optimized by tuning the local porosity, with simulations capturing the physics of the surface reaction kinetics, electronic and ionic conduction, reactant and product concentration gradients, and solvent fluid flow. The result is a heterogeneous porous network with a high surface area reaction layer coupled with open conduits that minimize the pressure drop across the flow reactor. These optimized electrodes are then resolved into 3D bodies that are digitally sliced into projections and printed using large area projection microstereolithography (LAPuSL). We report on the methods of functionalizing these electrodes using thermal carbonization and electroless deposition, imbuing them with electrical conductivity and electrocatalytic activity. The resultant structures are validated using micro CT and electrochemically tested in a ferricyanide flow cell. Optimal structures are solved for and tested depending on the designed electrode size, reactant concentration, and electrolyte flow rate.