Affiliation:
1. Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 P. R. China
2. Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials Education Ministry of China Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 P. R. China
3. Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering University of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 1H9 Canada
4. Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry University of Toronto 200 College St Toronto M5S 3E5 Canada
5. School of Mechanical Electrical Engineering Beijing Information Science and Technology University Beijing 100192 China
Abstract
Advances in additive manufacturing are leading to the emergence of new printable applications, including sensors for healthcare monitoring and bioengineering scaffolds. Research is driven by designing new printable inks including composites that can be extruded and respond to changes in their surroundings and patterning these materials on the microscale. In modern printing techniques, an emerging modified three‐dimensional (3D) printing method: materials extrusion has been utilized for customizable electronics because of its high compatibility with various inks, low cost, and versatility to different levels of complexity. Material extrusion enables not only the printing of 2D and 3D architecture of the electrode structure but also the bioprinting of structures such as conductive scaffolds. In this review, fundamental insights into rational printable ink formulation including colloidal suspensions, gels, polymer melts, composites, printing criteria, processes, and applications toward printable electronics using composites composed of nanomaterials and biopolymers are fully discussed. New manufacturing insights on how to further improve the resolution and simplify the printing process of responsive materials are discussed, which have not been seen in currently published representative reviews. It is envisioned that this review provides high scientific merits to readers working in wearable devices, biological smart materials, and flexible nanoelectronics.
Funder
Beijing Municipal Education Commission
Subject
Condensed Matter Physics,General Materials Science