U.S. 3D printing breakthroughs double battery capacity and cut small hydro costs

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have used advanced multi‑material micro‑stereolithography to 3D‑print thick, interlocking electrode structures for batteries. The new design, made of porous graphene oxide with a thin gold coating, eliminates ion‑trapping “dead zones” and doubles the storage capacity without slowing charge rates or reducing power output.

Separately, a U.S. initiative has applied 3D printing to components for small, abandoned hydroelectric dams, lowering the capital cost of retrofitting these sites by roughly 40 %. The combined advances point to faster, cheaper pathways for expanding renewable energy generation and storage across the United States.