Tech
3D-printed gyroidal solid oxide cells offer lighter, more compact energy solutions
Over the past decades, energy engineers have been developing a wide range of new technologies that could power electronic devices, robots and electric vehicles more efficiently and reliably. These include solid oxide cells (SOCs), electrochemical devices that can operate in two different modes, as fuel cells or as electrolyzers.
Fuel cells are devices that can convert the energy in specific chemicals into electricity via chemical reactions. Electrolyzers, on the other hand, are technologies that can split water (H2O) or other molecules using electricity, to produce hydrogen (H2) or other desirable chemicals.
Most SOCs developed so far are two-dimensional (2D) and consist of flat structures with stacked layers of different materials. This 2D design, however, limits the extent to which the devices can be reduced in size while also increasing their weight, as it relies on metallic interconnects to enable the flow of energy and seal different components.
Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark recently designed new three-dimensional (3D) SOCs with a periodic surface structure known as a gyroid. These cells, outlined in a paper published in Nature Energy, can be fabricated using 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing.
“The use of gyroid structures in heat exchangers has been shown to reduce weight, improve compactness, and increase efficiency,” Prof. Vincenzo Esposito, corresponding author of the paper, told Tech Xplore. “We replace the metal with an ion-conducting ceramic, thereby realizing the 3D-SOC concept. The 3D-SOC is well-suited for applications that demand lightweight construction, compactness, and stability, such as those in the aerospace and automotive industries.”
The monolithic gyrodial SOCs developed by Prof. Esposito and his colleagues have three primary components: a dense ceramic electrolyte, a porous fuel electrode and a porous oxygen electrode. Like other SOCs, they can operate in two different modes, namely as fuel cells or as electrolyzers.
“In the fuel cell (SOFC) mode, the cell generates electricity using fuel gases such as H₂, CH₄, and CO, normally called X to Power,” said Prof. Esposito. “In the electrolysis (SOEC) mode, it produces fuel gases and O₂ by electrolyzing H₂O or CO₂, called Power to X.”
To fabricate their 3D SOCs, the researchers first realized their monolithic ceramic frame, which includes an electrolyte, the sealing and support structure. This entire structure was manufactured using 3D printing technology.
Subsequently, they coated the fuel electrode and oxygen electrode on the electrolyte’s surfaces. Finally, they co-sintered the electrolyte, fuel electrode and oxygen electrode together, ultimately attaining a functioning monolithic gyroid SOC.
“Compared to conventional SOC stack technology, the 3D-SOC has an extremely simplified manufacturing process,” explained Dr. Zhipeng Zhou, lead author of the paper. “A conventional SOC stack requires the integration of numerous components, including single cells, metallic interconnects, and sealants. In contrast, the 3D-SOC can be fabricated using only 3D printing, coating, and co-sintering processes.”
In contrast with 2D SOCs, the 3D device developed by the researchers can be scaled up without the need for additional components, which in turn reduces its overall weight. In addition, the team’s new design enables greater space for the electrolyte, while minimizing the cell’s size and maximizing its compactness.
“The 3D-SOC is flexible and could be upscaled without metallic interconnects,” said Dr. Zhou. “The complete elimination of metallic interconnects significantly improved the stability of the SOC system and reduced its cost.”
The recent work by Prof. Esposito, Dr. Zhou and their colleagues opens new exciting possibilities for the fabrication of 3D SOCs. In the future, the devices they designed could be improved further and deployed in various settings, particularly within the aerospace and automotive industries.
“Some examples include NASA’s Mars program and Airbus’ SOFC aircraft (HYLENA | Airbus),” said Dr. Venkata Nadimpalli, corresponding author of the paper. “From a scientific perspective, the 3D-SOC features fundamentally different structures compared to conventional SOC designs. As a result, conclusions drawn from traditional SOCs may not apply to 3D-SOCs, due to their distinct gas distribution and heat transport properties.”
Prof. Esposito, Dr. Zhou and Dr. Nadimpalli hope that their study will soon inspire other research groups to design similar 3D SOCs that are compact, highly performing and more scalable.
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More information:
Zhipeng Zhou et al, Monolithic gyroidal solid oxide cells by additive manufacturing, Nature Energy (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01811-y.
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3D-printed gyroidal solid oxide cells offer lighter, more compact energy solutions (2025, August 20)
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A national housing shortage is straining finances and communities across the United States. In Massachusetts, at least 222,000 homes will have to be built in the next 10 years to meet the population’s needs. At the same time, there are numerous challenges in traditional construction. There’s a shortage of skilled construction workers. Most projects involve multiple contractors and subcontractors, adding complexity and lag time. And the construction process, as well as the buildings themselves, can be a major source of emissions that contribute to climate change.
Reframe Systems, co-founded by Vikas Enti SM ’20, uses robotics, software, and high-performance materials to address these problems. Founded in 2022, the company deploys microfactories that bring housing fabrication and production closer to the regions where the homes are needed. The first homes designed and manufactured in Reframe’s first microfactory have been fully built in Arlington and Somerville, Massachusetts.
Enti’s experiences in MIT System Design and Management (SDM) shaped the company from its start. “Learning how to navigate the system and finding the optimal value for each stakeholder has been a key part of the business strategy,” he says, “and that’s rooted in what I learned at SDM.”
Better tools for system-level problems
Enti applied to SDM’s master of science in engineering and management while he was working at Kiva Systems, overseeing its acquisition by Amazon and transformation into Amazon Robotics. He found that the SDM program’s fundamentals of systems engineering, system architecture, and project management provided him with the tools he needed to address system-level problems in his work.
While he was at MIT, Enti also served as an associate director for the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, which offers students and researchers mentorship, feedback, and potential funding for their startup ideas. He realized that “there isn’t a single formula for how businesses start, or how long it takes to get them started,” he says, which helped shape his plans to start his own business.
Enti took a leave of absence from MIT to oversee the expansion of Amazon Robotics in Europe. He returned and completed his degree in 2020, writing his thesis on developing technology that could mitigate falls for elderly people. This instinct to use his education for a good cause resurfaced when his daughters were born. He wanted his future business to address a real-world problem and have a social impact, while also reducing carbon emissions.
Growing housing, shrinking emissions
Enti concluded that housing, with immediate real-world impact and a significant share of global carbon emissions, was the right problem to work on. He reached out to his colleagues Aaron Small and Felipe Polido from Amazon Robotics to share his idea for advanced, low-cost factories that could be deployed quickly and close to where they were needed. The two joined him as co-founders.
Currently, the microfactory in Andover, Massachusetts, produces structural panels, with robotics completing wall and ceiling framing and people completing the rest of the work, including wiring and plumbing. Eventually, Reframe hopes to automate more of the building process through further use of robotics. The modular construction process allows for reduced waste and disruption on the eventual home site. And the finished homes are designed to be energy-efficient and ready for solar panel installation. The company is set to start work soon on a group of homes in Devens, Massachusetts.
In addition to the Andover location, Reframe is setting up in southern California to help rebuild homes that were destroyed in the area’s January 2025 wildfires. The company’s software-assisted design process and the adjustability of the microfactories allows them to meet local zoning and building codes and align with the local architectural aesthetic. This means that in Somerville, Reframe’s completed buildings look like modernized versions of the neighboring three-story buildings, known locally as “triple-deckers.” On the other side of the country, Reframe’s design offerings include Spanish-style and craftsman homes.
“Housing is a complex systems problem,” Enti says, explaining the impact SDM has had on his work at Reframe. The methods and tools taught in the integrated core class EM.412 (Foundations of System Design and Management) help him tackle systems-level problems and take the needs of multiple stakeholders into account. The Reframe team used technology roadmapping as they devised their overall business plan, inspired by the work of Olivier de Weck, associate head of the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. And lectures on project management from Bryan Moser, SDM’s academic director, remain relevant.
“Embracing the fact that this is a systems problem, and learning how to navigate the system and the stakeholders to make sure we’re finding the optimal value, has been a key part of the business strategy,” Enti says.
Reframe Systems is set to continue learning through iteration as they plan to expand their network of microfactories. The company remains committed to the core vision of sustainably meeting the country’s need for more housing. “I’m grateful we get to do this,” Enti says. “Once you strip away all the robotics, the advanced algorithms, and the factories, these are high-quality, healthy homes that families get to live in and grow.”
Framework, the company that makes laptops designed for optimal repairability, announced a new version of its main product, a 13-inch screen laptop. It’s called the Framework Laptop 13 Pro, and it has far better battery life, a touchscreen, a haptic touchpad, and is fitted with Intel processors.
At an event in San Francisco today, Framework CEO Nirav Patel showed off the company’s new tech, opening with a joke about making Framework AI—something the company is very much not doing. Framework’s whole thing, after all, is aiming to give users control over the physical tech they use.
“That industry is fighting for you to own nothing, and they own everything,” Patel said about the AI industry. “We’re fighting for a future where you can own everything and be free.”
Framework used the event to detail other updates coming to its 16-inch laptop. It also showed off previews of an official developer kit and a wireless keyboard for controlling your rig from the couch.
Framework 13 Pro
As the name implies, the 13 Pro is a step up from the company’s last version, the Framework 13. It’s also pricier, starting at $1,199 for a DIY Edition that requires assembling the computer yourself. Pre-built units start at $1,499 but can be upgraded with more features. Framework says it will start shipping the 13 Pro in June.
Framework’s signature move for its products is the ability to take the thing apart. The 13 Pro is made with that ethos in mind, so its parts can be easily swapped out, upgraded, or replaced. Four Thunderbolt 4 interfaces let you pick which ports (USB-C, HDMI, etc.) you want and then choose where to place them. Framework says it planned the laptop with cross-generation compatibility in mind, so current Framebook 13 laptop owners will be able to use new 13 Pro parts like the mainboard, display, and battery, and put them into their existing machine.
The big changes in the guts of the 13 Pro come from Framework’s shift away from using an AMD processor to Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 processors, which Framework described in its press release as “just insanely efficient.” That efficiency, along with a bigger battery, translates to more than 20 hours of battery life while streaming 4K Netflix videos, at least that’s the claim. That’s almost 12 hours longer than the Framework 13.
Courtesy of Framework
Courtesy of Framework
OpenAI launched a new image generation AI model on Tuesday, dubbed ChatGPT Images 2.0. This model can generate more than one image from a single prompt, like an entire study booklet, as well as output text, including in non-English languages, like Chinese and Hindi. This release is available globally for ChatGPT and Codex users, with a more powerful version available for paying subscribers.
When any major AI company releases a new image model, it can revive interest and boost usage, especially if social media users adopt a meme-able trend, transforming images of themselves. Last year, Google’s launch of the Nano Banana model was a major moment for the company, especially when users started posting hyperrealistic figurines of themselves online. Earlier this year, ChatGPT Images made waves on social media as users shared AI-generated caricatures.
What’s Different?
Since the new model can tap into ChatGPT’s “reasoning” capabilities, Images 2.0 can search the internet for recent information and generate more than one image at a time. In essence, the bot can use additional steps to output more thorough generations from a single prompt. Images 2.0 also has a more recent knowledge cutoff date: December 2025.
This also means that outputs from the new model are more granular. For example, I generated an infographic with San Francisco’s weather forecast for the next day, as well as activities worth doing. The image ChatGPT generated included accurate weather details for the rainy day, along with accurate-looking drawings of the Ferry Building, Castro Theater, Painted Ladies houses, and Transamerica Pyramid.
Additionally, Images 2.0 is more customizable for users who want unique aspect ratios for image outputs. The new model can generate images, ranging from 3:1 wide to 1:3 tall, and users can adjust the image’s size as part of their prompt to the AI tool.
First Impressions
After a few hours of generating images with the new model, I was generally impressed with the text rendering capabilities, in English at least. Not that long ago, image outputs featuring text, from any of the major models, often included numerous malformed characters or words with errant extra letters. ChatGPT struggled to label images accurately two years prior, so the cleaner, more complex outputs from Images 2.0 are a sign of continued improvement. Google has also focused on improving image outputs featuring text in its recent iterations of Nano Banana.
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