Direct Ink Writing for Electrochemical Device Fabrication: A Review of 3D-Printed Electrodes and Ink Rheology

Three-dimensional printed electrodes seem to overcome many structural and operational limitations compared to ones fabricated with conventional methods. Compared to other 3D printing techniques, direct ink writing (DIW), as a sub-category of extrusion-based 3D printing techniques, allows for easier fabrication, the utilization of various materials, and high flexibility in electrode architectures with low costs. Despite the conveniences in fabrication procedures that are facilitated by DIW, what qualifies an ink as 3D printable has become challenging to discern. Probing rheological ink properties such as viscoelastic moduli and yield stress appears to be a promising approach to determine 3D printability. Yet, issues arise regarding standardization protocols. It is essential for the ink filament to be extruded easily and continuously to maintain dimensional accuracy, even after post-processing methods related to electrode fabrication. Additives frequently present in the inks need to be removed, and this procedure affects the electrical and electrochemical properties of the 3D-printed electrodes. In this context, the aim of the current review was to analyze various energy devices, highlighting the type of inks synthesized and their measured rheological properties. This review fills a gap in the existing literature. Thus, according to the inks that have been formulated, we identified two categories of DIW electrode architectures that have been manufactured: supported and free-standing architectures.