3D printing could improve microenergy storage

Close-up view of a Si-rich glass micro supercapacitor (MSC) 3D printed on a silicon substrate. Magnified 4720 times. Credit: Po Han Huang/KTH Royal Institute of Technology
One of the keys to making mobile devices more compact and energy efficient lies in the precise nanoscale shape of the capacitors that store energy. Researchers in Sweden report that they have solved this challenge with a unique 3D printing method.
Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology have demonstrated a 3D printing method for manufacturing glass micro-supercapacitors (MSCs). This reduces the complexity and time required to form the complex nanoscale features required by MSCs.
This advancement could lead to more compact, energy-efficient portable devices, including free-standing sensors, wearable devices and other Internet of Things applications, said Frank Nicklaus, professor of micro and nanosystems at KTH. says Mr. Their research was published in ACS Nano.
The new method addresses two important challenges in manufacturing such devices. The performance of micro-supercapacitors is primarily determined by the electrodes that store and conduct electrical energy. Therefore, more electrode surface area is required and nanoscale channels are required to facilitate rapid ion transport. Po-Han Huang, lead author of the KTH study, said the new study uses ultrashort laser pulse 3D printing technology to address both challenges.
Researchers have discovered that ultrashort laser pulses can induce two simultaneous reactions in the glassy precursor material hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ). One reaction forms self-assembled nanoplates, and a second reaction converts the precursor into a silicon-rich glass, which is the basis of the 3D printing process. This enables fast and precise fabrication of electrodes with many open channels, maximizing surface area and speeding up ion transport.


Researchers have discovered that ultrashort laser pulses can induce two simultaneous reactions in the glassy precursor material hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ). One reaction forms self-assembled nanoplates, and a second reaction converts the precursor into a silicon-rich glass, which is the basis of the 3D printing process. Credit: ACS Nano 10.1021/acsnano.4c09339
The researchers demonstrated this approach by 3D printing microsupercapacitors that perform well even when charged and discharged very rapidly.
“Our findings represent a major advance in microfabrication and have far-reaching implications for the development of high-performance energy storage devices,” Huang says. “Beyond MSC, our approach has exciting application potential in areas such as optical communications, nanoelectromechanical sensors, and 5D optical data storage.”
This impact is also significant for technologies commonly used today. Non-micro-type supercapacitors are already harvesting the energy produced during braking, stabilizing the power supply for household appliances and optimizing energy recovery in renewable energy sources, Nicklaus says. “Microsupercapacitors have the potential to make these applications more compact and efficient.”
More information: Po-Han Huang et al. 3D printing of hierarchical structures made of inorganic silicon-rich glass featuring self-assembled nanolattices, ACS Nano (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c09339
Provided by KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Citation: 3D printing method can improve micro-energy storage (October 14, 2024) from https://phys.org/news/2024-10-3d-method-micro-energy-storage.html October 2024 Retrieved on 14th
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