Fabrication of SU-8 Derived Three-Dimensional Carbon Microelectrodes as High Capacity Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

It has been shown earlier that three-dimensional (3-D) electrode architecture facilitates higher energy and power density than the planar thin film based electrodes. In the present study, we fabricated SU-8 photoresist derived micro-patterned three-dimensional carbon-based electrodes using photolithography on stainless steel (SS) wafer used as a current collector. The preference of SS wafer over conventionally used silicon (Si) wafer is based on our previous study where use of SS wafer as a current collector enhanced the reversible capacity of thin carbon films to almost double as compared to the thin films prepared on Si wafer. As-fabricated 3-D carbon electrodes were then investigated for their electrochemical performance. At 0.1 C-rate, Li-ion reversible capacity was found to be nearly 600 mAh/g after 165 continuous charge/discharge cycles. Nearly 100% coulombic efficiency and excellent cyclic stability confirms the potential use of such 3-D micro-patterned carbon electrodes for next generation Li-ion batteries.