Direct ink writing preparation of LiFePO4/MWCNTs electrodes with high-areal Li-ion capacity

The combination of 3D printing technology and electrode materials make the design and manufacture of electrode structures more convenient and faster. Electrodes with the 3D structure have a large surface area and multiple ion transmission paths, which help the batteries to achieve a high areal capacity, energy density and power density. Here, we designed the 3D printed electrodes with a structure of square grid by Direct Ink Writing, and achieved an improvement of areal capacity (1.44 mA h cm −2 at 0.5C), better areal-energy density (18.06 J cm −2 ) and cycling stability (preserving ~80% capacity after 500 cycles at 5 C). • Designed structure accelerates the transmission of electrons and ions. • 3D electrodes show a high areal energy density.