<p>The performance of the anode foil for aluminum electrolytic capacitors is primarily determined by its microstructure and dielectric properties. However, traditional electrochemical etching techniques face difficulties in meeting the increasing demand for high-capacity capacitors due to the inherent limitations of two-dimensional pore structures. This study investigates the impact of modulating the particle size of aluminum powder in additive manufacturing on the performance of anode foils. A comprehensive analysis is carried out on the correlation between the microstructure formed after stacking and sintering aluminum powders with different particle sizes and the resulting performance characteristics. The research shows that when the aluminum powder particle size is 4–5&#xa0;μm, the anode foil forms a three-dimensional through-pore structure, with a specific capacitance of 1.022&#xa0;μF/cm², which is higher than that obtained by traditional etching methods. In contrast, when smaller particles (&lt; 3–4&#xa0;μm) are utilized, the specific capacitance drops significantly to below 0.3&#xa0;μF/cm². This decrease is attributed to pore blockage caused by sintering-induced melting and a substantial reduction in the total available surface area. On the other hand, larger particle sizes (&gt; 4–5&#xa0;μm) lead to a gradual decrease in specific capacitance, reaching 0.631&#xa0;μF/cm², mainly due to loose packing and reduced surface area. These findings confirm that the particle size of aluminum powder plays a decisive role in determining the performance of anode foils by influencing pore topology and the total available surface area. This study offers both theoretical support and practical guidance for optimizing particle size parameters in additive manufacturing processes for the production of high-performance anode foils.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>