Additive manufacturing for advanced rechargeable lithium batteries: A mini review

Additive manufacturing techniques have shown great promise in changing the way batteries can be designed due to their excellent geometry controllability, process flexibility and high sustainability in manufacturing complex-shaped structures, which have been progressively applied in design of high-performance lithium batteries. In this review, the latest advances in 3D printed lithium batteries have been summarized with a focus on the fundamentals of representative additive manufacturing techniques involving the operation mechanisms, manufacturing accuracy, respective advantages and challenges. In addition, the general 3D printing design principles in module architectures, materials selection and battery configurations for developing high performance lithium batteries are also systematically discussed. Finally, pertinent insights into the future perspectives of 3D printed lithium batteries have been emphasized, expecting to enlighten the research directions of practical applications of 3D printed batteries.