Apr 11, 2025
11:30am - 11:45am
Summit, Level 3, Room 327
Marissa Wood1,Megan Freyman1,Yiran Xiao1,Bo Wang1,Sichi Li1,Nicholas Cross1,Tiras Lin1,Giovanna Bucci1,Marcus Worsley1
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory1
Marissa Wood1,Megan Freyman1,Yiran Xiao1,Bo Wang1,Sichi Li1,Nicholas Cross1,Tiras Lin1,Giovanna Bucci1,Marcus Worsley1
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory1
As the demand for energy continues to rise, there is a greater need for high energy density batteries. One approach to improve energy density is to use thicker electrodes, which decreases the number of inactive current collector and separator layers necessary during cell assembly. However, mass transport limitations in thick electrodes limit their performance and have hindered their practical use. Another strategy is to use higher capacity electrode materials, such as Li metal anodes. However, current Li metal anode designs suffer from significant degradation over time due to non-uniform Li plating/stripping during cycling, which can lead to rapid capacity fade. Architected 3D electrodes have the potential to help solve these challenges by providing high surface area geometries that improve mass transport throughout the electrode material and can serve as a scaffold for more uniform Li plating/stripping. Using a combination of experiments and modeling, we explored how architecture impacts performance for two different graphite anode configurations where graphite acts as: 1) an intercalation material and 2) a host for Li metal. Graphite electrodes with well-controlled, systematically varied geometries were fabricated using 3D printing and then characterized by SEM and XPS before cycling in cells to evaluate their performance as both intercalation anodes and scaffold hosts for uniform Li metal plating/stripping. This work provides further insight into the relationship between anode architecture and electrochemical performance, which will facilitate the development of more robust high energy density batteries in the future.