Ordered Porous Electrodes Obtained Using LIFT for Electrochemical Applications

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Porous metal electrodes are crucial for various electrochemical applications.
• Current 3D printing methods for electrodes have limitations in resolution (down to 20 µm).
• Achieving precise control over pore distribution and diameter is challenging with existing techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) process for 3D printing porous metal electrodes.
• To demonstrate the fabrication of a porous gold (Au) electrode film using LIFT.
• To assess the performance of LIFT-fabricated electrodes in electrochemical applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) to 3D print metal voxels.
• Fabricated porous gold (Au) electrode films on a solid surface.
• Characterized electrode properties using cyclic voltammetry (CV) in Ar-saturated 0.1 M KOH.

Main Results:

• Successfully 3D printed porous Au electrode films using the LIFT process for the first time.
• LIFT-produced porous Au electrodes exhibited a four-fold increase in electrochemically active surface area (SA) compared to sputtered dense Au films.
• Demonstrated the potential for ordered porous electrode fabrication with high surface areas.

Conclusions:

• The LIFT process is a highly promising technique for fabricating ordered porous electrodes.
• LIFT enables the creation of high-surface-area electrodes suitable for advanced electrochemical applications.
• This method offers improved control over electrode architecture compared to conventional 3D printing.