National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 32(118), 2021
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SignificanceThe efficient utilization of electrical energy is an increasingly important challenge, especially as renewable energy sources become cheaper and demand increases. Electrochemical reactors utilizing flow-through electrodes (FTEs) provide an attractive path toward the efficient utilization of electrical energy. Their commercial viability and ultimate adoption hinge on attaining high current densities to drive cost competitiveness. There are limited opportunities for engineering FTE materials, as these are often random, disordered media. Alternatively, three-dimensional (3D)–printed FTEs provide the opportunity to quickly explore the impact of engineered electrode architectures on device performance. We demonstrate that 3D-printed FTEs have the potential to exceed the performance of conventional materials by using the expanded design freedom to engineer the internal flow.