Abstract: Disclosed herein is a 3D printing system for 3D printing batteries. The 3D printing system includes: A modular materials unit that includes multiple multi-material reservoirs that are configured to contain multiple battery materials separately. A modular printing unit with interchangeable deposition nozzles that receive material from the modular materials unit and eject the material towards a platform of the modular printing unit. A controller that selectively causes the modular materials unit to supply the multiple battery materials to the modular printing unit and the interchangeable deposition nozzles to eject the material. A power unit that supplies power to the 3D printing system. A sealed enclosure that contains the modular materials unit, the modular printing unit, the controller, and energy storage components of the power unit. And a mobility mechanism that attaches the sealed enclosure to mobility devices that can transport the 3D printing system to a desired location.

Abstract: The technology includes a method that utilizes a multi-modal printhead to deposit a first electrode material, forming an electrode layer with a defined boundary. Using a second nozzle, a thermally functional non-electrode material is deposited to create a coextensive non-electrode layer containing at least one embedded cooling channel with a tortuous path, fluidly connectable to an inlet and outlet for transporting a cooling medium. A third nozzle deposits a second electrode material, forming a second electrode layer, which may serve as either an anode or cathode. In-situ consolidation, such as laser sintering, is performed on at least one layer. The non-electrode material can be thermally conductive, insulating, or a composite, designed to dissipate heat and improve temperature uniformity. Deposition may involve extrusion, slurry-based, or inkjet methods. The cooling channel’s path length exceeds the straight-line distance between inlet and outlet, with dimensions optimized for heat removal.

Abstract: An energy storage or electron transfer device that lacks a current collector is formed by depositing a network of conductive nanomaterials in an electrode medium to form a continuous, self-supporting mesh embedded in the electrode medium. Junctions of the deposited network of conductive nanomaterials are nanowelded to reduce junction resistance and increase mechanical cohesion. An application-specific process is performed on the welded network of conductive nanomaterials to satisfy one or more requirements for a specific application. Examples of the one or more requirements include a particular morphology, composition, or interfaces, where the application-specific process can include controlling porosity or pore size distribution, selecting or adding surface coatings, or allocating mass or thickness to maintain conductivity and performance with a target nanonetwork.