(407e) 3D-Printing Hybrid Electrolyte Structures for Dendrite Suppressions

Current lab-scale production of Solid-State Electrolytes (SSE) for Lithium-ion batteries is limited to planar geometries and random porosities. Although SSE has shown improvements via advanced manufacturing techniques, they still face dendrite propagation issues. Additive manufacturing (or 3D printing), known for its rapid prototyping and design flexibility of complex structures, allows the materials and structures to be tuned to achieve a better performance battery. Moreover, different hierarchies (e.g., patternings, layers, pillars) can be incorporated to block dendrite growth and prevent further degradation by eliminating battery safety hazard effects. This work focuses on finding an ideal strategy for 3D printing Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Ta_0.5O₁₂ (LLZTO) ceramic electrolytes with unique structures for high energy density and high safety characteristics to enable greater resilience to extreme conditions. We will include the synthesis of the particles and electrolytes, design of 3D printing procedures, characterization of 3D printed structures, and performance of energy systems compared to the state-of-the-art