Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have developed a way to 3D-print an essential battery component in nearly any shape. Their innovation could free engineers from the constraints of standard rechargeable battery sizes and allow energy storage to be built directly into the devices the batteries power.
The work, detailed in a study published in Communications Engineering, centers on gel polymer electrolytes, the material inside a battery that carries the ions (the particles that carry the electrical charge) between the electrodes—the two terminals where chemical reactions occur and electricity enters or leaves the battery.
From liquid limits to printable gel
Conventional electrolytes are liquids that must be sealed inside rigid casings, a design that limits battery shapes and raises safety concerns about leaks. The UTEP team instead created a printable gel by combining a light-curable resin with a lithium-based liquid electrolyte, then hardening it layer by layer using a technique called vat photopolymerization.
The printed material performed on par with electrolytes made by conventional methods, reaching ionic conductivities of up to 3.4 × 10⁻³ siemens per centimeter, close to the performance of the liquid electrolytes it could replace. The researchers also pinpointed an optimal recipe, a 1-to-4 ratio of resin to electrolyte, that balanced strong electrochemical performance with clean, reliable printing.
Just as important for real-world use, the team printed the electrolytes in ordinary laboratory air rather than inside a sealed, oxygen-free chamber, and the material kept its performance.
Battery shapes no longer fixed
To showcase the design freedom the method offers, the researchers printed simple disks, an open honeycomb lattice and a solid 1-centimeter (0.4-inch) cube, illustrating how future batteries could be shaped to fit a wearable, a medical device or an aerospace part rather than forcing the device to accommodate the battery.
“For years, the shape of a battery has dictated the shape of the device it powers,” said Alexis Maurel, Ph.D., the study’s lead researcher and a faculty member in UTEP’s Department of Metallurgical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering.
“We are showing that you can print a high-performing electrolyte battery component with any shape and place it almost anywhere you want. That changes what designers are able to imagine.”
Solvent choice emerged as key
The work also clarified how the choice of solvent shapes both printability and battery behavior, a question the authors note had gone largely unexamined in earlier research on printable electrolytes. One formulation proved especially stable during repeated testing, helping the team identify the most promising path forward.
“This research demonstrates how advanced manufacturing and energy technologies are merging to create entirely new possibilities for battery design,” said Kenith Meissner, Ph.D., dean of the Miguel A. Loya College of Engineering.
“By developing a scalable method to 3D-print battery electrolytes in virtually any shape, Maurel and his collaborators are helping position UTEP at the forefront of next-generation energy storage research while providing our students with hands-on experience in technologies that are critical to the future of aerospace, transportation and advanced manufacturing.”
Next step is full cells
The research was led by UTEP scientists in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories. The team plans to refine its formulations and work toward incorporating these printed electrolytes into complete battery cells.
The study is part of Maurel’s portfolio of projects focused on 3D printing of batteries. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-3d-battery-electrolyte-devices-power.html
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