X.Y. Shi, Z.-S. Wu,* X.H. Bao

Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2020, 3, 581-612.

DOI: 10.1007/s41918-020-00071-6 [PDF]

Rapid development of the wearable and smart electronics applied in environmental sensors, internet of things, and implantable medical devices has accelerated the urgent demand of electrochemical energy storage devices (EESDs) with high performance, high safety and diverse form factors. Printable EESDs,e.g., batteries and supercapacitors, are regarded as a novel class of highly competitive candidates for future wearable, portable and integrated power sources, due to their low cost, scalability, outstanding compatibility with industry processes, and various form factors such as designable sizes and shapes, miniaturization, flexibility, aesthetic versatility, and integration. Herein, we provide a topical review of the recent advances in printable EESDs, paying close attention to (i) various representative printing techniques and their intriguing features including rheological requirements to component inks, printing resolution, compatible substrates, potential application situations, for the fabrication of high-performance EESDs; and (ii) diversified form factors and functionalities of printable EESDs in designable shapes, mechanical robustness, integration towards unconventional, customized, flexible and smart applications in future electronics. Finally, the existing challenges and future development directions of printed power sources with multiple form factors are briefly discussed.