Additive Manufacturing for Functionalized Nanomaterials Dedicated to Supercapacitors

Supercapacitors (SCs) as energy storage devices attracted attention in various application sectors like IoT, sensors, automobiles, and multiple industries. Supercapacitors with high-energy density and long cycle life need to be fabricated on a large scale to meet the demand in the energy storage device sector. The conventional fabrication techniques like hydrothermal, brush coating, and drop-down approaches are not suitable for the high yield of supercapacitors. The traditional fabrication process is not always accurate and fast. So, introducing the three-dimensional (3D) printing technique for supercapacitor applications is a breakthrough for automation in the energy storage sector. Research in the additive manufacturing process for energy storage applications widens the possibility of establishing an automatic supercapacitor printing process assisted with computer-aided design (CAD) to reduce complexity and enhance the accuracy of the fabrication process. Nanomaterials play a vital role in improving the performance of the supercapacitor. They provide advantages like high surface area, superior ionic conductivity, multiple redox sites, and a shorter diffusion path which improves the overall performance of the energy storage device. Coupling the nanomaterials with additive manufacturing techniques makes a one-stop solution for making high-performance supercapacitors with tailor-made properties. Therefore, this chapter highlights the detailed study of functionalized nanomaterials for fabricating supercapacitors by various 3D printing techniques. Further, the chapter detailed the device designs, fabrications, and true performance of SCs. Additionally, recent developments in additive manufacturing SCs and their pros and cons are discussed. Finally, the future perspective of AM in the platform of energy storage devices is outlined. The 3D printing of supercapacitors is believed to accelerate the production of supercapacitors in a single-step automation process with integrated indigenous designs without any complexity.