InterPore2026

A Novel Approach to Fabricating 3D PAN based Carbon Electrode Architectures

22 May 2026, 12:20

15m

Oral Presentation (MS17) Electrochemical Processes in Porous Media MS17

Speaker

Frederik Vandenbulcke

Description

The production of renewable energy is gradually increasing as part of the global efforts to mitigate the global warming. However, the inherent intermittency of renewable energy sources creates a growing need for reliable large-scale energy storage devices. Flow batteries (FBs) are considered a promising candidate for large scale stationary energy storage, but their energy efficiency is limited by various losses, like mass transport, kinetic, ohmic, and pressure losses all of which are strongly influenced by the electrode material and porous structure [1], [2]. Carbon electrodes are currently the most promising electrode materials for FBs due to their chemical stability, high surface area, good electrical conductivity and their ability to suppress parasitic reactions such as the hydrogen evolution reaction [3]. Nevertheless, the range of available porous electrode designs remains narrow, with most studies relying on traditional architectures such as carbon felts, papers, and cloths.
In this work, we developed a novel method to fabricate porous 3D-structured carbon electrodes, using PAN as the primary precursor material, typically used in commercial felt, paper and cloth based electrodes. This new fabrication approach enables the creation of custom-designed 3D architectures, allowing precise control over the electrode structure. As a result, new possibilities emerge for enhancing mass-transfer characteristics and reducing pressure drop, ultimately lowering the pumping energy required during operation [4], [5]. This work focusses on the production method of these 3D structured carbon electrodes. For the fabrication, we combined the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method with dissolvable mold materials to create 3D PAN structures. These structures are subsequently carbonized under inert conditions, yielding 3D structured carbon electrodes. The effect of different mold designs, PAN:PVP:DMF ratio’s and oxidation temperatures were studied electrochemically and physically. The electrochemical testing was performed in a custom made flow battery system and compared with traditional felt electrodes. Being able to cycle the flow battery equipped with these 3D structured electrodes in the range of 100 mA/cm² without optimizing the structure, shows the promising nature of this method. Moreover, this method makes it possible to design various carbon electrodes, like Triple periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures, static mixer and carbon meshes.