Laser-induced graphene structures: From synthesis and applications to future prospects

Despite being relatively new, laser-induced graphene (LIG) has undergone a number of evolutionary practical leaps that have inspired a wide range of applications in the electronics, life sciences, environmental, energy storage as well as medical fields. Recent advances in the synthesis and patterning of graphene and the use of two-dimensional graphene materials in three-dimensional (3D) superstructures have increased the number of this material's potential applications. In this context, laser-based approaches for synthesizing, modifying, reducing, and assembling graphene-based materials are of current in enormous demand. Compared with other approaches, laser-based technologies for graphene synthesis and modification have significant advantages. Laser-derived graphene production is highly accurate, practically reproducible, scale-controlled (from nano-micro to macro dimension writing), industrially deployable, low-cost, fast, and energy-efficient. Owing to the significance of this topic in the materials engineering arena, the number of published scientific articles in the field has increased dramatically in recent years. In this review, we summarize and highlight the recent research carried out using laser ablation technologies, as well as their application in the synthesis and chemical modification of the resulting LIG substrates with respect to the parameters of the applied laser. Following a brief overview of the physical characteristics of laser-induced graphene materials and a discussion of various laser-processing operations, the applications of laser techniques for patterning electrode materials in a broad range of technological applications are discussed in detail. Finally, a brief discussion of some of the unresolved issues and potential avenues for future prospects in the field of laser-based graphene materials for various applications is discussed.