Research Progress in Graphene/Polymer Composites Processing Using 3D Printing Technology

Graphene is widely used in the preparation of polymer matrix composites because of its excellent properties. 3D printing, as an emerging technology, is increasingly applied to the shaping and processing of graphene/polymer composites. In this paper, three kinds of main preparation methods of graphene/polymer composites which are solution mixing, melt blending, and in-situ polymerization were introduced. 3D printing methods and the advantages and disadvantages of inkjet printing, fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereolithography (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS) as well as their characteristics were summarized. Besides, the applications of 3D-printed graphene/polymer composites in electronics, energy, biomedical and aerospace were reviewed. Finally, it was pointed out that the further research in this area would be focused on the fabrication of graphene/polymer composites which have good printability, homogeneous dispersed graphene, and excellent functional characteristics.