Printing Polymer Nanocomposites and Composites in Three Dimensions

Recent advances in materials science and three-dimensional (3D) printing hold great promises to conceive new classes of multifunctional materials and components for functional devices and products. Various functionalities (e.g., mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties, magnetism) can be offered by the nano- and micro-reinforcements to the non-functional pure printing materials for the realization of advanced materials and innovative systems. In addition, the ability to print 3D structures in a layer-by-layer manner enables manufacturing of highly-customized complex features and allows an efficient control over the properties of fabricated structures. Here, the authors present a brief overview mainly over the latest progresses in 3D printing of multifunctional polymer nanocomposites and microfiber-reinforced composites including the benefits, limitations, and potential applications. Only those 3D printing techniques that are compatible with polymer nanocomposites and composites, that is, materials that have already been used as printing materials, are introduced. The very hot topic of 3D printing of thermoplastic composites featuring continuous microfibers is also briefly introduced.