Revealing Dynamic Ion Transport in Tailorable Carbon Nano-Skyscraper Electrodes

Optimizing ion transport dynamics in nanoporous electrodes is crucial for advancing electrochemical energy storage and conversion technologies. However, rapid charge relaxation and architectural complexity in conventional electrodes impede a comprehensive understanding of ionic behavior. Here, convoluted ion migration routes are decoupled into two distinct pathways by precisely engineering the density and spatial arrangement of 3D carbon-interconnected nanoporous architectures. The findings reveal that ions exhibit time-optimized transport, prioritizing pathways that minimize temporal resistance over shorter spatial distances. This behavior, enabled by rational electrode design, enhances the performance of quasi-ideal (low-curvature) electrodes by 20% at ultrahigh scan rates of 1 0000 mV s^-1. Through finite element simulations and experimental validation, it is further demonstrated that uniformly distributed nanoporous configurations outperform localized and gradient designs in charging dynamics. These insights provide a framework for designing high-efficiency nanoporous electrodes, with significant implications for next-generation electrochemical devices.