Recent progresses of 3D printing technologies for structural energy storage devices

Abstract

Although existing energy storage devices (ESDs) that are prepared by traditional technologies can meet the demands of many application scenarios in our life, there are still many special application scenarios that cannot be implemented, such as flexible devices, wearable devices, and structural devices. Three-dimensional (3D) printing, an advanced technology that can realize rapid production of structural objects, has been widely studied in tissue microfluidics, electronics, and engineering. The exploration of its application in ESDs has also been started by scientists in recent years. This article focuses on the topic of 3D-printed structural ESDs with improved electrochemical performances. First, the background of 3D printing technologies in fabricating ESDs is introduced, including the advantages and categories of 3D printing technologies for ESDs. Then, the current progresses of 3D printing technologies in fabricating structural lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries are summarized, including the preparation of inks, the 3D-printed cathode/anode, the 3D-printed electrolyte, and the 3D-printed full LIBs. Besides, the progresses of other structural ESDs that are based on 3D printing are briefly summarized, such as the 3D-printed supercapacitors, the 3D-printed lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries, and the 3D-printed lithium–oxygen (Li–O2) batteries. In the end of the review, we also point out the future development directions of 3D printing technologies for structural ESDs. We believe that 3D printing technologies are a promising production method in preparing structural ESDs for special usage scenarios.