3D-Printed MXene-Based Composites for Rechargeable Batteries

Abstract

This review summarizes the application in 3D-printed MXene-based composites for rechargeable batteries. MXene, a family of two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides, offers high electrical conductivity, hydrophilic surface functional groups, tunable interlayer spacing, and excellent solution processability. These properties make MXene an ideal building block for functional inks in additive manufacturing. 3D-printing techniques, including 3D direct ink writing, 3D cold-trap environment printing, and 3D microfluidic-assisted printing, enable the construction of hierarchically porous, high surface area, and customized electrode architectures that overcome the limitations of conventional planar electrodes—such as sluggish ion transport, low active material loading, and lithium dendrite growth. The review highlights the application of 3D-printed MXene-based electrodes in lithium-ion, Li metal, Li–S, sodium-ion, and aqueous zinc-ion batteries, demonstrating significantly improved capacity, rate capability, cycling stability, and dendrite suppression. Key strategies include MXene/rGO aerogels for sodium-metal anodes, MXene/polymer composites for zinc anode protection, and MXene/metal oxide heterostructures for Li–S batteries. Despite challenges related to MXene oxidation, ink rheology regulation, and interfacial impedance mismatch, the integration of 3D-printing with MXene offers a transformative route toward next-generation, high-energy, and structurally tailored energy-storage devices.