TY - JOUR
T1 - Additive manufacturing of functional high-performance polymers for energy storage, conversion, and insulation systems
AU - Chanraksmey, Long
AU - Nie, Bingying
AU - Zhao, Wei
AU - Thummavichai, Kunyapat
AU - Chen, Yu
AU - Chen, Binling
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors
PY - 2026/1
Y1 - 2026/1
N2 - Energy-related systems require materials that not only withstand harsh operating conditions, including extreme temperatures, corrosive environments, mechanical stresses, and radiation, but also can be manufactured into complex geometries (e.g. porous networks, patterned membranes, and architected 3D lattices etc.) and integrated structures to deliver specific functionalities such as insulation, separation, membrane operation, energy storage, or shielding. Traditional methods like molding and machining often struggle to create intricate multifunctional components such as porous scaffolds, interdigitated electrodes and layered membranes. In contrast, advances in additive manufacturing (AM) have transformed the production of energy-related components by enabling greater design freedom, rapid prototyping, and the fabrication of customized, high-performance parts with reduced material waste. Among the different classes of AM, high-performance polymers (HPPs) have emerged as promising candidates due to their outstanding thermal, mechanical, and chemical resilience. These, including Polyamide (PA), Polyetherimide (PEI), Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS), Polysulfone (PSU), Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and Polyimide (PI), are particularly suited for AM in demanding energy applications. This review summarizes recent advances in the AM of HPPs for electrochemical and thermal energy storage, hydrogen production and storage, oil and gas systems, and radiation shielding. It also examines how structural design and composite reinforcement enhance performance, and outlines current challenges and future research directions to advance AM technologies for energy-related applications.
AB - Energy-related systems require materials that not only withstand harsh operating conditions, including extreme temperatures, corrosive environments, mechanical stresses, and radiation, but also can be manufactured into complex geometries (e.g. porous networks, patterned membranes, and architected 3D lattices etc.) and integrated structures to deliver specific functionalities such as insulation, separation, membrane operation, energy storage, or shielding. Traditional methods like molding and machining often struggle to create intricate multifunctional components such as porous scaffolds, interdigitated electrodes and layered membranes. In contrast, advances in additive manufacturing (AM) have transformed the production of energy-related components by enabling greater design freedom, rapid prototyping, and the fabrication of customized, high-performance parts with reduced material waste. Among the different classes of AM, high-performance polymers (HPPs) have emerged as promising candidates due to their outstanding thermal, mechanical, and chemical resilience. These, including Polyamide (PA), Polyetherimide (PEI), Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS), Polysulfone (PSU), Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and Polyimide (PI), are particularly suited for AM in demanding energy applications. This review summarizes recent advances in the AM of HPPs for electrochemical and thermal energy storage, hydrogen production and storage, oil and gas systems, and radiation shielding. It also examines how structural design and composite reinforcement enhance performance, and outlines current challenges and future research directions to advance AM technologies for energy-related applications.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105024225079
U2 - 10.1016/j.smmf.2025.100121
DO - 10.1016/j.smmf.2025.100121
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:105024225079
SN - 2772-8102
VL - 4
JO - Smart Materials in Manufacturing
JF - Smart Materials in Manufacturing
M1 - 100121
ER -